


The Paladins of Justice

by keithpoenewt



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - FBI, Alternate Universe - Federal Agents, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Arson, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Buried Alive, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Fire, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gun Violence, Heavy Angst, Human Allura (Voltron), Human Coran (Voltron), Human Shay (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Injury, Injury Recovery, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Minor James Griffin/Keith (Voltron), Minor Lance/Nyma (Voltron), Murder, Murder Mystery, Murderers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, References to Drugs, Serial Killers, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Spies & Secret Agents, Swearing, Torture, Violence, don't worry jeith is only temporary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-02 21:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 134,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12734550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keithpoenewt/pseuds/keithpoenewt
Summary: On the surface, the world looks like a beautiful, unique place filled with many different sights to see. Whether it'd be the tall skyscrapers of a big city or the calming beaches of the coasts, there's always something to see. Looking deeper, the world can be a very dark and scary place, but there are people out there who make the world a safer place to live.Keith Kogane is one of the top agents the FBI has ever produced, aside from Takashi Shirogane of course. Keith's team consists of eight people: himself, team leader Shiro, federal prosecutor Allura Quinn, weapons expert Hunk Garett, tech genius Katie "Pidge" Holt, medical examiners/forensic analysts Dr. Shailene "Shay" Clark and Dr. Coran Krammer, and newest member, the psychologist profiler Dr. Lance McClain. Together, they solve murders, catch serial killers, deal with terrorism attacks, stop bomb threats, rescue those who have been kidnapped, and much more.





	1. Meetings and Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Keith's recklessness nearly gets him killed, Shiro calls in someone to help out with cases and to serve as Keith's "shrink." Keith doesn't think he needs a partner, but he isn't really in a place to argue with Shiro.
> 
> When a homeless man turns up dead on the street, Keith and his team step up to solve the case. Along the way they meet many different kinds of people...one of which almost costs Keith's new partner their life.
> 
> Will they solve it? Or will the murderer get away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: This AU deals with a lot of shit - there's swearing, blood, etc. Each case is unique and brings something new to the table. I will do my best to keep up with the triggering tags, but if I miss something, please bring it up in the comments.
> 
> Enjoy!

Cover art below!

“Shit…” Keith mutters to himself as he stumbles into a hallway. He breathes heavily and backs into a wall, glaring at the ceiling while clutching his side. _Of course, that guy had a gun. How could I have been so stupid?_ He glances down and cringes at the sight… _that’s a lot of blood_.

“Come on! I saw the bastard head down here!” a voice shouts from down the hallway.

_Haxus_ , Keith thinks bitterly to himself. He holds his breath and wills himself not to say anything. He ignores the throbbing pain in his side as the voices come closer. He bites his lip and furrows his eyebrows as he presses harder against the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

“That rotten punk couldn’t have gotten far! You shot him right in the side!” another voice shouts.

“That bastard is Krolia’s son, he made it out alive,” Haxus replies.

Keith closes his eyes and counts to three before jumping out from his spot, pulling his gun out. He shoots the two guys who came with Haxus then aims the gun at him. “Heard you talking shit, Haxus. Why not say it to my face?”

Haxus snarls at him. “You’re never going to find out the truth about your mother. It’s bigger than you think, kid.” He pulls out a gun and aims it at Keith. “Now, do you want to join your precious mother or are you gonna let this go?”

Keith glances down at Haxus’s gun then back to his face. “I think I’d rather kill your sorry ass.” He jumps out of the way as Haxus shoots at him again and chucks his own gun at Haxus’s head, sending him stumbling backward into the wall. He yells out in pain, dropping his gun and rubbing his forehead. Keith kicks away Haxus’s gun and yanks out a knife from his jacket, throwing it at Haxus’s abdomen, piercing him just below the ribs.

Haxus sputters, blood dripping from his mouth as he coughs. Keith walks up to him, glare on his face then kneels beside Haxus and grabs the knife, pushing it in deeper. “Tell me what you know,” Keith orders.

Haxus cackles then coughs again. “You’re about to die with your best lead.”

Keith shoves the knife in deeper. “Oh, I’ll be fine, but you’ll slowly bleed out. Now tell me what I want to know then maybe I can see something about getting this fixed.”

“If I burn, you burn with me.” Haxus spits blood in Keith’s face. “Tick tock…” He looks down at his chest and laughs maniacally.

Keith’s eyes widen in sudden realization of what’s strapped onto Haxus’s chest…a bomb. “You son of a bitch.”

Haxus smiles, blood dripping down his chin. “Vrepid Sa…”

Keith backs up, yelping in pain as Haxus punches him in his bullet wound. He manages to get to his feet and attempt to run off before the bomb explodes. Keith gets to the end of the hallway when it goes off.

Then, everything goes black.

~ _Two Weeks Later_ ~

“Keith, listen to me! This is for your own good!” Takashi Shirogane (Shiro for short), Keith’s chief leader, exclaims after him.

Keith ignores him as he pulls open the glass doors to their floor’s main room where the desks are located for field agents like Keith. Apparently nearly dying from a bomb means someone needs psychological help…who knew? Shiro claims it’s because of Keith’s grown obsession with his mother’s case file, but Keith isn’t buying it.

“Keith Kogane! Listen to me right now or I will send you back to the hospital!” Shiro exclaims, making everyone turn to look at them.

Keith stops in his tracks and rolls his eyes. He had just been barely released from the hospital yesterday, still wearing a brace on his knee and a few Band-Aids on his face, but he feels fine…despite the doctors saying he should wait another week - Shiro knew Keith wouldn’t agree to that. “Takashi, I don’t need a psychiatrist to study me. I can take care of myself…it's what I've been doing all my life,” Keith replies, trying not to lose his temper.

Shiro shakes his head no. “Just come with me, he should already be here by now.” He grabs Keith's arm and drags him across the walkway around the desks on the main level, over to the office beside his own. Shiro knocks on the door then looks at Keith. “We brought him here from Quantico so he's one of the best.”

Keith goes to retort, but a man slightly taller than Keith with darker, tanned skin, black-rimmed hipster glasses, and dark sea blue eyes opens the door. He smiles warmly at Keith and Shiro and steps aside, gesturing for them to come in. “Hello! Come in!”

Shiro smiles politely at the man then gently shoves Keith into the room. “I'm guessing you're Doctor McClain? I'm Special Agent Takashi Shirogane and this is Special Agent Keith Kogane,” Shiro introduces.

“Call me Lance, but yes, that's me!” Lance exclaims. He turns to Keith and smirks. “Well, it's my pleasure to be working with you.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

Keith clenches his jaw and turns to Shiro. “Don't make me do this.”

Shiro chuckles. “You better get used to him because I'm making him your new partner.”

“WHAT!?” Keith exclaims, outraged. “You know I work alone.”

Shiro crosses his arms. “Yeah? Well, you lost that right when you went off and got blown up. I was really worried about you, Keith. I didn't know if you were going to make it or not.” He looks away at the door. “Anyway, I'll-” Shiro’s phone buzzes and he sighs.

Keith's and Lance’s phones buzz immediately after. “A body was found near the church on fourth,” Keith reads.

“You two head out to the scene. Shay should be on her way now,” Shiro instructs. He puts a hand on Keith’s chest, stopping him from walking out of the door. “You’re in no condition to drive a car so don’t even think about it.” He turns to Lance. “You drive him, understood?”

Lance nods. “Yes, sir.”

Keith rolls his eyes and brushes past Shiro, ready to finally get back out in the field. He glances around the room and fixes his tie. He looks down at the empty desk across from his own. Hunk’s usually always at his desk at this time either doing some research on new styles of guns or whatever case Shiro has him working on, but Keith doesn’t see him today. He turns to tell Lance to hurry up, but someone jumps on his back from behind. “Whoa! What the-”

“ _Bastard_! You were released from the hospital and didn’t tell me?!” the voice demands.

Keith turns his head and chuckles when he sees Pidge. “Hey, Pidge. I was gonna come to say hello, but-”

“But he had an appointment with the doctor,” Lance interjects slyly from the doorway. “Hi, I’m Doctor Lance McClain…you must be Katherine Holt?”

Pidge nods. “Yep! But I go by Pidge…only Director Alfor has the right to call me Katherine.” She flashes Lance a smile before hopping off Keith’s back. “If you’re wondering where Hunk is, he’s in his workroom. He stopped coming out here after you didn’t come out of the hospital after a week.” She clenches her fists and frowns at the ground. “You had us worried, Keith. Why didn’t you talk to us?”

Keith looks from Pidge to Lance then back to Pidge. “You know I work alone…besides, I didn't want Shiro finding out.”

Pidge crosses her arms. “You know damn well I would never sell you out to him. Just because he’s our boss doesn’t mean I have to tell him everything.” She huffs and turns away. “When you feel like telling me the _real_ reason, you know where to find me.” She storms back down the walkway and out the glass doors to the right where her office and computers are, leaving Keith and Lance alone.

Keith sighs and turns when he senses Lance looking at him. “Not a word, _profiler_ ,” he snarls.

“How do you know I was even gonna say anything?” Lance wonders as they walk into the parking garage where the cars are parked. He presses a button on the car keys and one of the black SUVs beeps, signaling it has been unlocked. Keith walks over to it and hops in the passenger’s side. Lance gets in the driver’s side and turns to Keith. “Look, Keith, you can't push your friends away like that.”

Keith clenches his fists and glares at Lance. “You don't know me, Lance. You don't know the shit I've been through to get here so you have no right to judge me.”

Lance raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. “Oh really? I've read your file and there was enough there for me to build a profile about you.”

Keith scoffs and turns away. “Yeah? Well, I'd like to hear this so-called _profile_.”

Lance puts the keys in the ignition and starts the car before backing out of the parking spot. “Your father left when you were seven and your mom hadn't been seen since then. She’s presumed dead, but no one knows for sure since her body was never found. From then on, you bounced around several foster homes because you always got into fights with the other kids.” Lance glances left and right down the road before driving out. “You were aloof as a child due to your parents abandoning you. Then, since you were never adopted nor had a foster family who actually cared about you, you developed trust issues that still affect you to this day. Since you’re scared of people not accepting you like no one did when you were in the foster system, you push people away before they can hurt you because that’s what you’re used to. You surrounded yourself with these unbreakable walls because you’re scared of what people will think of the real you and because you have a fear of being left alone again. The only person you’ve let in was Shiro, but then he left you when he went missing during the mission that caused him to lose his arm. You think by not letting anyone get close to you, you won’t get hurt anymore. This is why you don't trust your-”

“Enough!” Keith yells. He turns and frowns at Lance, eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “You think it's that black and white, huh? That _I'm_ the bad guy? Well, you're wrong, but that's not my job to tell you that.” He turns away and looks out the window. “You have to figure that out for yourself.”

Lance sighs but doesn't press the conversation anymore, thankfully. After a few more minutes, they arrive at the crime scene and hop out of the car. Keith flashes his badge to the officers and they allow him and Lance to go closer to the body. They get closer, but Lance stops to survey the area. Keith rolls his eyes when he sees Lance stop, but continues to where Doctor Shailene Clark, their medical examiner, and forensics analyst, is working on the body. “Hey, Shay.”

She turns and smiles widely when she sees Keith. “Keith! Oh, it's so nice to see you! I've missed seeing your lovely face each day.”

Keith chuckles and pulls out his pen and notepad. “Don't tell Hunk that.”

She rolls her eyes. “I've known that man how many years and he still hasn't asked me out? It's a crime!”

“One crime at a time, Shay. What happened to our vic?” Keith asks as he clicks his pen, ready to write things down.

“The body has been dead for about a day, but I can get you a more precise time when I get it back to the lab. There are several gunshots to the chest and one to the skull,” Shay lists. “From what I can tell here, it appears the gunshot to the skull was the fatal blow, but when I get him back to the lab I can do further investigation. There’s dry blood splatter on the wall so this is where he died.”

Keith nods and writes down what she says. “Okay…do you have an ID?”

Shay opens her mouth to speak, but Lance walks over and speaks before she can. “He’s homeless so he wouldn’t have an ID tag on him…besides, the body was looted before we got here.” He kneels down next to Shay. “The pockets are inside out and the jacket is disturbed. Plus, look at the state of the clothes…they don’t look like they’ve been washed in years.”

Keith rolls his eyes and angrily puts his pen and notepad away. “Who’s the real agent here?”

Lance sighs and stands up. “Keith, I’m only trying to help.”

“Well, you’re doing more harm than good right now. I’m sure Shay was going to tell me that…right, Shay?” Keith asks her without breaking eye contact with Lance.

“Actually, I was going to say there’s no ID on him because his body was looted, but I did not think of him being homeless,” Shay replies, packing her tools up. “I will let you two do what you wish with what information I gave you. If you need me, I’ll be in the lab. I’ll contact you if I discover anything.”

“There’s a soup kitchen nearby, you can ask if they know anything about our vic,” Lance says to Keith once Shay is gone.

“Uh? What about you? Didn’t Shiro hire you to be by my side at all times?” Keith wonders.

Lance smirks. “Aw, is someone gonna miss me?” He chuckles. “I was gonna look around the area a little more to figure out why the killer chose this area to dump the body.”

Keith crosses his arms and furrows his eyebrows. “What will this do for the investigation?”

“Well, first off, the killer didn’t attempt to hide the body in any way so they wanted the body to be found, showing slight remorse, but I looked around and there are no security cameras in this alleyway nor are there street cams on this street. The killer knew this so they couldn’t be traced,” Lance explains. “Plus, most of these buildings are foreclosed and used by squatters.”

Keith blinks, slightly surprised by the insight. It probably would’ve taken him a trip to Pidge’s office to figure that out, but Lance concluded that in a matter of minutes. “Huh…good-good find, Lance,” Keith replies stiffly.

Lance flashes Keith a wide smile. “Thanks, Keith! Shall we head to that soup kitchen now?”

Keith coughs slightly, looking away from Lance. “Uh, yeah…lead the way…”

Lance raises an eyebrow at Keith but doesn’t protest. He steps out of the alleyway and leads Keith down the street towards a building with the words _The Daily Bread_ written on it. Keith glances around, suddenly getting the feeling he’s being watched. He turns his head when he sees movement near another alleyway around the corner. Keith begins walking in that direction, hand on his gun holster, ready to pull it out if needed. He hears Lance calling his name, but he doesn’t reply.

Keith rounds the corner and his vision flashes back to when he was stuck underground. He stumbles back, gripping his side as if he’d been shot again. His heart begins to race and he breathes heavily. He looks back up and he sees the bloodied body of Haxus standing there with an evil smirk on his face. Keith’s eyes widen and he pulls out his gun, preparing to shoot, but two hands grab his shoulders and force him to turn around.

Lance stands in front of Keith, eyes wide with concern. “Keith, what the hell was that?!” He sees the gun in Keith’s hands and takes it away.

“I-I thought I saw…” Keith turns his head and looks behind him, but Haxus is gone. “He was just…”

“Keith, who was there? What did you see?” Lance asks, turning Keith back to him.

“Haxus…” Keith whispers.

“The man who nearly blew you up? Okay, Keith, we need to tell Shiro about-” Lance starts.

“No!” Keith interrupts. “Shiro cannot find out about this! He’ll throw me off the case!”

“But you’re obviously not okay!” Lance reasons.

Keith grabs Lance’s face and glares at him. “Then help me. Shiro called you up here to be my psychiatrist, right? Then help me…work your _shrinky_ magic on me and help me get through this.”

Lance releases Keith’s shoulders and crosses his arms. “Keith, it’s not that simple.”

Keith pulls his arms away. “Forget it then…you’re clearly not up to the challenge.”

Lance scoffs. “Oh please! I’m the best of the best! I don’t think you’re ready to put forth the effort to trust me to help you.”

Keith glares at him again. “Try me.”

Lance raises an eyebrow at Keith then smirks. “Alright then, we have a deal.” He holds out his hand for Keith to shake and they shake hands, both determined to hold up their ends of the deal.

Once Lance releases his hand, he begins walking back towards the soup kitchen. Keith stares down at the floor and furrows his eyebrows. It’s been a while since he actually trusted someone enough to be his partner. The last person to earn Keith’s trust was Shiro’s old partner, Matthew Holt, but he’s still missing.

Keith shakes the thoughts out of his head and walks inside after Lance and glances around the room. He sees a few people sitting down at the wooden tables, eating what looks like sloppy joes. His heart clenches a bit at the sight of two kids walking around to find a seat, reminding of his time in the foster system.

“…my partner Special Agent Keith Kogane,” Lance says, snapping Keith out of his thoughts. “Keith? This is Carly Bennings.”

Keith walks over and flashes his badge to the girl working. “Yes, hello, do you recognize this man?” He pulls out his phone and pulls out one of the crime scene photos of the victim’s face then shows it to Carly.

She grimaces at the dirt and blood on the victim’s face, but nods. “Yes, his name is Killian, but I don’t know his last name. He’s dead?”

Keith nods and puts his phone away, exchanging it for his pen and notepad. “He was murdered yesterday.”

“That’s terrible! Oh, he was such a lovely man…he came in every Tuesday and Thursday,” Carly shares.

Lance smiles at Carly. “Did you see him on the Tuesday or Thursday of this week?”

Carly shakes her head no. “Actually, I haven’t seen him in the past month. He did mention to me the last day he was here that he might have found a job at a nearby grocery store.”

Keith hurriedly writes down some things then looks back up at Carly. “Do you know the name of it?”

“ _Bean Me Up_? I think that’s the name. It’s a weird Sci-fi themed store.” Carly shakes her head. “I’ll be honest with you, it’s pretty weird in there.”

“What kind of a name is _Bean Me Up_? It doesn’t even make any sense,” Keith replies, shutting his notepad.

“Have you ever seen _Star Trek_?!” Lance demands, turning to Keith. “Beam me up, Scotty!” He smiles widely, but Keith continues to stare at him with a confused expression. “Oh my god, Keith, you haven’t _lived_!”

Keith rolls his eyes and looks at Carly. “Thank you for your help, if you think of anything else that may help us in the investigation, here’s my card.” He hands her a small slip of paper that has Keith’s name and work number on it, along with the address to the FBI building.

She nods and slips it in her back pocket as Lance leads Keith out of the soup kitchen. Keith steps up next to Lance and glances around the street. “Shall we head to the grocery store?”

Lance nods. “Yes, I think that would-”

_RING RING_

Keith’s phone buzzes and he pulls it out, seeing Shay calling. He presses accept call. “Hey Shay, what’ve you got?”

“I have a precise time of death,” Shay replies. “And I discovered something else as well…you’ll want to stop by and see what I found.”

“Alright, we’ll be there as fast as we can, thanks, Shay.” Keith hangs up the phone and immediately starts walking towards the car.

“Whoa! Keith! Where are you going?” Lance asks, jogging to catch up with Keith.

“The morgue,” Keith replies. “Shay has something to show us.”

“And when were you going to share that with me?” Lance wonders, stepping into Keith’s path.

Keith huffs and glares at Lance. “Do you mind? We have a murder to solve.”

“What did we just talk about, Keith?” Lance crosses his arms.

“Lance, I’m trying, okay? I’m not gonna change who I am in a split second,” Keith replies. “From now on I’ll keep the phone on speaker whenever someone calls, okay?”

Lance smiles and puts an arm around Keith. “Atta boy, Keith! Now, to the morgue!” He removes his arm and walks towards the car ahead of Keith.

Keith chuckles to himself and rolls his eyes. Lance is an odd man, but he obviously means well and wants the best for Keith. No one has made this much effort to take care of him and, honestly, it feels nice. Keith wonders if it’ll last or the moment everything comes out and Lance learns about the true Keith, he’ll take off running like everyone else. No one ever stays in Keith’s life for very long…Lance is no exception.

“Keith! Let’s go!” Lance shouts from in the car.

“Coming!” Keith exclaims, hurrying over to the passenger’s side and getting in.

Once Keith is buckled, Lance starts driving towards the morgue. On the way there, Keith gets a call from Pidge. He presses accept and puts her on speaker. “Hey Pidge, you’re on speaker. Lance is in the car.” He pulls out his notepad to take more notes.

“Hey guys - okay, so I did a search on your victim and his name is Killian Henston, age sixty-seven. He’s a war vet from the Vietnam and Cold Wars. He enlisted when he was twenty-four and accepted when he was twenty-five. He served for the rest of the Vietnam War and throughout most of the Cold War,” Pidge shares. “Not much more on this guy…he’s been homeless ever since he got back.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows. “No family?”

“His parents are dead, no wife, and I don’t see anything about siblings, but I’ll keep looking. Over and out!” She hangs up the phone as Keith finishes writing down the information Pidge found.

“Okay so war vet was murdered…no family-” Keith starts.

“That’s so depressing,” Lance interrupts as he pulls into the morgue parking lot.

“What? What are you talking about?” Keith asks as he gets out of the car.

“He had no family to go back to when he returned from fighting in the army,” Lance says, shutting his car door. “When I got back, my family-”

Keith whirls around and looks at him. “You were in the army?”

Lance smirks. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Kogane. I’ll let you figure out my story.”

“Lance, I’m not a profiler. I don’t know how any of that works,” Keith complains as they walk into the morgue. Keith flashes his badge and they walk to where Shay’s lab is.

“Well, since you’re working with me, a thing or two should rub off,” Lance replies with a wink. He turns into the room and smiles when he sees Shay. “Hello Doctor Clark, how are you today?”

Shay smiles at him. “I’m great, thank you for asking.” She slips on medical gloves. “And you can call me Shay, Doctor McClain.”

Keith walks in and pulls out his notepad again. “What have you found?”

Shay chuckles and walks over to the body. “With closer examination, I was able to conclude the time of death between one and three in the morning last night. Cause of death is the gunshot to the temporal and the shots to the chest were postmortem.”

“Overkill,” Lance concludes. “Whoever killed him wanted to make sure he stayed dead.”

“Does that mean it was personal?” Keith wonders.

Lance nods. “There you go, look at my profiling protégé! I’m so proud!”

Keith ignores Lance and looks back at Shay. “What else did you find?”

She removes the part of the sheet covering the body’s arm and shows them an intricate tattoo. It’s a blue anchor with the word ελευθερία ( _eleutheria_ ) written across the top. “This tattoo.”

Lance steps forward and looks closer at it. “ _Freedom_ ,” he reads. “Makes sense he’d have that. This must mean he was in the navy.”

“I recognize the signature at the bottom,” Keith interjects. “I know who gave him the tattoo…they call him the Snake. I took down a couple of his buddies who were selling illegal marijuana and…other substances. Couldn’t catch this guy though, he’s good at hiding…hence the name.”

Lance raises an eyebrow. “You worked those cases too? That wasn’t in your file when I read it.”

Keith smirks and crosses his arms. “I was a regular cop back in those days. Clearly, you didn’t dig deep enough when you made your profile about me.”

“Why are you building a profile on Keith?” Shay asks, genuinely curious.

“Shiro called me in after Keith went rogue following a lead about his mother. I’m supposed to be-” Lance starts.

“Shiro thinks I need a babysitter and a therapist to help me out, but I’m completely fine,” Keith interrupts. “Thanks again for the intel, Shay, but I have one request. Could you get me a picture of the tattoo?”

Shay nods and walks over to her file folder and pulls out a clear picture of Killian’s tattoo. Keith takes it from her and smiles in thanks. Lance sighs and turns to Shay. “Thank you, Shay. Call us if you find anything else.”

“Will do! It was nice seeing you two!” Shay exclaims after them as they walk out.

Keith walks briskly out of the morgue and over to the car, not bothering to wait for Lance. “Keith! Wait a second!” Lance exclaims, catching up to Keith. “Why did you lie to her? You aren’t okay. An hour ago you thought you saw the man who tried to kill you in an alleyway.”

“They can’t know, Lance. They won’t understand why I have to keep doing this,” Keith insists. “They’ll want me to go home and rest, but I can’t do that. Being out here in the field and doing this, solving murders and cases, that’s what I’m good at. If I tell them about that, they’ll take it away from me. Please, Lance…you said you’d keep quiet.”

“I said I’d keep quiet from Shiro! I didn’t know I had to keep this quiet from your friends!” Lance exclaims.

“Patient confidentiality,” Keith counters.

Lance opens his mouth to protest, but huffs and crosses his arms instead.

“Can’t argue with that! Come on, let’s head to the tattoo parlor and question the artist. I know he’s the one behind it,” Keith says, hopping in the car. He watches Lance walk around the front of the car and climb in the driver’s seat.

“Keith, we’re going to the grocery store first. We have to talk to his boss to let him know his employee is dead and get more information,” Lance says as he starts the car and begins driving down the road. “We can’t jump to conclusions.”

Keith groans, but doesn’t argue with him anymore. They ride in silence to the grocery store and Keith immediately finds himself not wanting to go in there. “Lance, I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“What? It’s just a grocery store, Keith. You wanted to march straight into a tattoo parlor owned by a criminal,” Lance reasons, getting out of the car. “Come on, you’re the one with the badge. I haven’t gotten mine yet.”

Keith grumbles and gets out of the car, leading Lance inside. He grimaces at the sight of everything. The designs appear to be trying to look like the _U.S.S. Enterprise_ , but everything looks like a poor knock-off. The cashiers are wearing the blue uniforms and the people in charge of cleaning up any messes seem to all be wearing red.

Lance elbows him and leads him over to one of the workers. She eyes them wearily and seems to glare extra hard at Keith, but he doesn’t really care. He’s dealt with too many bad guys for one moody girl to get on his nerves.

Lance smiles at her. “Hi, my name is Doctor Lance McClain and this is my partner, Special Agent Keith Kogane.” Keith flashes his badge. “Is your boss here?”

The girl sighs and nods, pointing to the back of the store. “Yeah, he’s in the back helping with a new shipment. If you hear yelling, that’s him.”

“Thank you, Delia,” Lance says, reading the girl’s name tag before leading Keith through one of the aisles and into the back room. They stop in their tracks when they hear someone yell.

“I TOLD YOU TO NOT STACK THEM LIKE THIS! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO MAKE A WIDE BASE?!” someone screams.

Keith steps in front of Lance and they slowly make their way around one of the storage walls and see spilled soup cans all over the place. In the center, there is a man in a yellow shirt screaming at a young girl in a red shirt. She winces when he yells at her. “Sir, I was never told any of this! You see-”

_SLAP_

Carl slaps the girl across the face, sending her stumbling backward. “Not another word out of you! I won’t take that back talk any day!”

Keith clears his throat and crosses his arms, getting Carl’s attention.

“What the - who let you two back here?! Get out! This is an employee’s only room!” Carl shouts.

Keith pulls out his badge and marches up to Carl. “You’re under arrest for assault and the murder of Killian Henston.” He pulls out his handcuffs and forcibly grabs Carl’s hands, putting them behind his back to handcuff him.

“What! This is madness! I didn’t kill anyone!” Carl protests.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” Keith drags him away from the poor girl and out to the main area of the store. “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.”

“Mutiny! This is mutiny!” Carl yells as Keith forces him in the back of the car. Once he’s in, Keith slams the door shut then turns around but almost runs into Lance, who had been writing notes on a notepad of his own.

“Lance, what are you doing?” Keith asks.

“Hmm? Oh, taking notes on your behavior in the field,” Lance replies casually, slipping his pen and notepad in his pocket. “Why?”

Keith blinks at him then shakes his head. “Uh…no…let’s just head back.”

Lance smiles at him then gets in the driver’s seat of the car while Keith gets in the passenger’s side. They drive in silence until they arrive back at FBI HQ. Keith gets out of the car and opens the back before pulling Carl out of the car. He instructs another agent to put him in the interrogation room while he talks to Pidge. Keith walks briskly through the ‘lobby’ of the building, across the white polished flooring straight towards the elevators. Lance enters the elevator a few seconds later with a glare on his face. “Were you trying to ditch me?” he wonders.

Keith opens his mouth to reply, but someone interrupts him. “Keith!” a woman’s voice exclaims.

Keith looks outside the elevator and sees Allura Quinn walking towards him and Lance. Of all the women Keith works with, Allura intimidates him the most. She has a no-nonsense kind of attitude, which Keith admires most about her, but loves getting into people’s personal lives. Her unique white colored hair used to be down below her waist, but she got it cut after an incident with a defense lawyer. She’s kept it in a short bob ever since. Back when Keith woke up in the hospital after the explosion, she had been the most upset with him and didn’t speak to him since then…until now.

Keith smiles politely. “Hello Allura, how are you today?”

“I am fine, thank you. Are you going up? I have to discuss a few things with Shiro before I have to go into court today,” she shares, pressing the third-floor button.

“Yes, we are,” Keith replies stiffly.

“Allura as in the Allura Quinn? The federal prosecutor?” Lance asks.

Allura turns to him and nods. “Yes, that is me…and who might you be?”

Lance holds out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Doctor Lance McClain. Shiro called me in to help assess Keith from what happened to him and work with him on cases.”

Allura shakes his hand. “Wait, I have heard of you. You are a profiler, right? You build profiles on the suspects in the cases.”

Lance nods. “Yep, that’s me!”

“And you are also Keith’s psychologist?” Allura turns her gaze to Keith and chuckles. “Good luck getting this one to open up. I have known him for four years and he still will not tell me anything about his past.”

“Fraternizing with my coworkers isn’t in my job description, Allura,” Keith replies as the elevator door opens. “Besides, a little mystery is good for the soul, isn’t it?”

“Not when said mystery nearly gets you killed,” she replies curtly before exiting the elevator. She opens the glass doors where desks are arranged for various field agents, like Keith, to sit.

Keith sighs and steps out of the elevator with Lance. “I think she’s still mad about the incident. At least she’s talking to me now.”

“What do you mean by now?” Lance wonders as they walk through the same glass doors and down the stairs to Keith’s desk. Lance leans against part of the desk as Keith takes off his leather jacket and sets it on the chair.

“She ignored me for a week while I was in the hospital,” Keith shares. “Everyone was convinced I was dead. Apparently, there was so much shrapnel in my back and chest that I-” He stops himself and tilts his head in confusion. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” Lance asks with an innocent expression.

Whatever insult or remark Keith had in response dies in his mouth. He finds himself slightly lost in Lance’s dark, sea blue eyes. Since when were they _blue_?!

Keith shakes his head and looks away from Lance, cheeks slightly warm. “Never mind. I have to go talk to-”

“KEEEITH!” someone shouts from behind them.

Keith whirls around and sees Hunk standing there with a smug looking Pidge next to him. Hunk runs down the stairs and nearly knocks Keith over with a bear hug. “YOU’RE ALIVE! Why didn’t you come say hi when you got in?! Pidge said you got in this morning!” Hunk releases Keith and gives him a concerned expression.

Pidge slowly makes her way down the stairs. “Oh, you know Keith…always keeping _secrets_ from everyone.”

“I would have, but a case came up and I had to go to the crime scene,” Keith replies through clenched teeth, glaring at Pidge. He sighs and looks back at Hunk. “I’m sorry I didn’t…honestly I didn’t know you guys cared so much.”

Hunk sputters and crosses his arms. “You thought we didn’t care?! Dude, Pidge and I visited you at the hospital every single day while you were still unconscious. We only stopped when Shiro gave us jobs to do to get our minds off the fact that you probably weren’t going to make it.” He looks solemnly at his dusty desk. “My desk buddy was gone and I was sad about that. I just stopped coming out here altogether because your empty desk just made me depressed.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows and places a hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “I’m here now, isn’t that enough?”

Hunk turns back to him, eyes full of disappointment and sadness. “If that’s what you think, then I guess it is.”

“Hunk, I-”

“Agent Kogane? The suspect is in the interrogation room whenever you’re ready for him,” another agent interrupts, bringing Keith back into reality.

He clears his throat and directs his attention to the agent. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll be there in a moment.” Keith looks at Pidge. “I need a file on a Carl Luxburg.”

Pidge exchanges a grim expression with Hunk before leading Keith to her office. Keith notices Lance isn’t following so he stops to turn around. “Lance? Aren’t you coming?”

“Hmm? Oh, no…I won’t be sitting with you during the interrogation,” Lance replies. “I’ll be observing from behind the one-way glass.”

Keith shrugs. “Suit yourself.” He continues following Pidge over to her office and walks inside. He sighs at the mess in the room. “Pidge, your office is a mess.”

“You don’t see me dictating how to live  _your_ life, Keith,” Pidge retorts, plopping down in her chair. “Now, what did you need me to do?”

“I need you to run a background check on Carl Luxburg,” Keith says pulling up a chair next to her. “I wanna know if he has a criminal record.”

Pidge sighs. “Fine.” She begins typing on her computer and eventually pulls up some mug shots and records on Carl. Keith leans forward to read them and rolls his eyes. Most of the things Carl was arrested for was petty crimes like trespassing or vandalism. Though, he was charged for assault on a coworker and attempted murder on one of his bosses.

“Not surprised this is on his record,” Keith says dully, standing up. “Print this out please and then can you eventually join me in the interrogation room with Killian’s file? Once I start listing off the crimes he’s been convicted for.”

Pidge nods. “Sure thing, Keith. Good luck in there.” She hands him the printed papers and a file folder.

Keith takes the files and ruffles her hair affectionately before walking out of the office to the interrogation room. He takes a deep breath then storms inside, slamming the door behind him.

Carl glares at him. “I’ve been waiting here for forty-five minutes!”

Keith slams the papers down on the table. “Yeah? Well, someone like you deserves to wait. Shall I open your file? It’s quite meaty in there.”

“Impossible! I haven’t done a wrong thing in my life!” Carl exclaims.

Keith raises an eyebrow then plops down in the chair across from him, opening the file. “Let’s see…vandalism on your old boss’s car, trespassing on government property, assault on one of your coworkers, and - oh this is the cherry on top - attempted murder on your old boss.” Keith looks back up at Carl and sees that he has gone silent, arms crossed. “Mhmm, that’s what I thought.”

The door opens behind Keith and Pidge strolls in with another file in hand. Carl furrows his eyebrows and sits back in his chair. “The hell? Is this a joke?”

Pidge raises an eyebrow and sits down next to Keith. “Um, no?”

Keith slams his fist on the table. “Don’t change the subject! Why did you kill Killian Henston?!”

“I didn’t kill him! I swear! I liked Killian!” Carl exclaims. “He was an excellent worker and I was going to give him a promotion!”

Keith blinks a few times before exchanging a skeptical expression with Pidge then turns back to Carl. “Promotion? You don’t seem like the type to give any sort of praise to your employees.”

Carl sighs. “Killian did his job well and followed orders, as any good employee should. He deserved a leadership position.”

“Where were you last night between the hours of one and three?” Keith asks dully, already done dealing with Carl.

“I left the store around twelve thirty and went out drinking with friends so I left Killian there  _alive_ to close up shop for me,” Carl says. “I didn’t get home ‘till three thirty.”

Keith stands up and collects his papers. “I’m going to need the names and contact information of the people you were with and the bar you were at to verify you were there when you said.” He slides Carl a pen and paper and waits for him to write down the information.

Once he finishes, Keith takes it from him and leaves the room with Pidge. “Wait! Aren’t you gonna let me go?!”

Keith turns and raises an eyebrow at Carl. “I still have you for twenty-four hours…not to mention you assaulted a worker of yours in front of me.” He slams the door shut and hands the files to another agent waiting before following Pidge to her office once again. Keith sees Lance walk out of the room behind the one-way glass, finishing up a thought on his notepad. “You were in there the whole time?”

Lance looks up and smiles at Keith. “Yes, I was.” He slips his notepad back in his bag.

“May I ask why?” Keith wonders as he leads Lance to Pidge’s office.

“I’m still building my profile on you, Keith. Shiro brought me here not to just work with you, but to observe and help you,” Lance explains. “I want to do a good job.”

“What did watching me interrogate a scumbag show you about me?” Keith asks.

“You don’t take crap from anyone, you’re very good at figuring out when someone is lying, and you have some anger issues,” Lance tells him, opening Pidge’s door for Keith.

“I don’t have anger issues!” Keith exclaims, frustrated.

“You just proved yourself wrong,” Pidge comments from her chair. She turns and smiles at Lance. “Hi Lance! How was the show in the interrogation room? I’m usually not allowed in there…Keith’s the only one who likes me in there with him.”

Lance raises an eyebrow and pulls out his notepad to write something down. “Really? I did not know that. I think I know why though.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “Give me a break! There’s not a reason I have her in there with me!”

“That’s a lie,” Lance replies, putting his notepad away. “You have her in there because it gives you a sense of purpose. You feel responsible for her so she pushes you to do your best because you feel like you need to protect her. If you don’t get a confession or the truth out of the suspect, you feel like her life is in danger and you failed her.” He turns to Keith.

“Wow,” Pidge says in awe. “Lance, you should write a book on Keith.”

“Actually, I was considering that. After the observations I’ve collected today, it would be interesting to put his life on paper,” Lance replies.

“You’re gonna write my biography?” Keith asks with a raised eyebrow. “You’ll get sick of me.”

“Doubt it,” Lance retorts. “Anyway, Pidge, I believe you were going to check out Carl’s alibi?”

“Oh! Right!” she exclaims, turning back around in her chair. “Lemme just access the store’s security cameras.” She types a few things on her keyboard and video feed appears on the screen. “What time should I go back to?”

“Around twelve thirty,” Keith instructs. “We’ll see if Carl leaves when he says he leaves.”

Pidge nods and types in the time then sits back and watches the screen. Keith watches as Carl and Killian talk back and forth with each other, occasionally laughing before Carl hands him something that appears to be a set of keys. Killian shakes Carl’s hand and waves as Carl walks out of the store. Keith looks at the time stamp and sees it says 12:46 AM. He opens his mouth to say Carl’s in the clear, but shuts it when he sees Killian look around the room in a paranoid manner before running to the back-storage area. Pidge moves over to the camera in the storeroom and they watch as Killian moves stuff around, frantically searching for something. Eventually, he lifts up a large duffle bag and walks back out to the main area. Pidge flicks back and they see Killian walk out of the store, locking the door behind him.

Lance and Keith exchange a confused expression while Pidge moves to the street cams to follow Killian down the street. He walks a bit until turning right into an alleyway, standing there for a few minutes by himself before being joined by another man in a black hoodie, arms covered in tattoos. The two men discuss something with each other before Killian hands the duffle bag over in exchange for a huge stack of cash. Killian walks back down the street while the mystery man gets in a black car. The license plate is out of sight from the camera, probably so no one can trace the car. Pidge pauses the video feed on the mystery man and turns to Keith. “Any theories on who this man is? I can’t trace a license plate number because it’s not on any camera feed. He must’ve known the camera was there because he also doesn’t show his face.”

Keith crosses his arms. “It’s the Snake. I recognize the viper tattoo on the left arm. Pidge, get me everything you have on the guy ready to go when I bring him in for questioning.”

“You got it,” Pidge replies. “Be careful please.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Keith ruffles her hair and leads Lance out of her office. “Now, this part of town is notorious for muggings and gang activity,” Keith shares as he and Lance walk to the elevator. “Stick close to my side since you haven’t been cleared for a weapon yet.”

“Keith, you know I’ve served in the military, right?” Lance asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Lance, it’s different out there. I grew up on the streets,” Keith replies as they get in the car. “Just do what I say, please? Once you get your gun then you can take care of yourself.”

Lance smirks and winks at Keith. “Maybe I won’t and just keep my knight in shining armor.”

Keith rolls his eyes and points at the road. “Just drive us there.”

Lance laughs loudly then turns the ignition on in the car and drives them down the road. Eventually, they reach the part of town Keith warned Lance about and Keith already feels himself on edge. Being here brings him back to his time as a regular cop. He almost lost his life a couple times because of his impulsiveness, but it got the job done and that’s all his captain really cared about.

He shakes the thoughts out of his head and points to a shop up ahead. “That’s the Snake’s tattoo parlor. Park right here and we’ll walk over.”

Lance does as Keith says and closely follows behind as Keith leads him to the tattoo parlor. Keith walks inside, hand on his gun holster, but removes it when he doesn’t see anyone behind the front desk. Lance walks over to the wall of tattoos and begins looking over them. Keith walks behind the desk and begins shuffling through papers.

“Do you have any information about the Snake?” Lance suddenly asks, breaking the silence.

Keith shakes his head no. “Pidge did everything she could, but nothing came up on a real name about him. I’m hoping there will be something here about-”

They hear something crash in the back room, followed by a grunt and some curse words. Keith immediately pulls out his gun and looks at Lance. “Stay here,” Keith orders. He turns back to the back room, beginning to advance towards the room. He takes a deep breath and kicks down the door, aiming the gun in the room, but he doesn’t see anyone. Keith lowers it in confusion, looking around the room at the mess. He takes a step forward, but a voice from behind stops him.

“I wouldn’t move any further unless you want him to die.”

Keith whirls around and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees the Snake with a knife against Lance’s throat.

Lance looks at him with apologetic eyes and winces as the Snake kicks his leg, moving him forward. The Snake chuckles. “Oh, Officer Kogane! Didn’t think I’d see your ugly face in these parts again.”

“It’s Agent Kogane now,” Keith growls at him. “And if my face is so ugly, it must be a mirror then. Give it up, Snake. I’ve got you now.”

He raises an eyebrow. “More like I’ve got your stick figure partner here. I thought you worked alone? You never did like anyone slowing you down.”

Keith clenches his fist around the handle of the gun. “Let him go, Snake. Killing him will make you responsible for two murders.”

The Snake glares at him. “I’ve got the upper hand here, Kogane. If you want to see this stick make it out alive, you’ll make the smart choice and put that gun away.”

Keith glares at the Snake, but does as told. While he slips the gun back in his holster, he loosens the knife he has in his sleeve. Lance’s eyes flicker down to it before going back up to Keith’s face. They share a knowing expression before Keith turns back to the Snake.

The Snake snickers. “Excellent. Now, turn around and I’ll just slip out of here undetected.”

Lance gives Keith pleading eyes, but Keith ignores them and slowly turns around. He drops the knife into his palm and, in seconds, turns back around and launches the knife at the Snake’s hand that has the knife held up to Lance’s neck. Lance, just in the nick of time, leans back and avoids both knife blades, falling onto the ground. The Snake yells in pain, tearing out Keith’s knife and jumps at him, attempting to stab him. Lance’s eyes widen in fear, but Keith sidesteps, cheek barely getting sliced, and strikes the Snake in the throat with the side of his open hand. He gags and stumbles backwards, trying to catch his breath again. Keith takes the opportunity to grab his arm and pull it behind his back before slamming him against the wall. He takes the knife out of the Snake’s hand and presses it against his throat. “Why did you kill Killian?!” Keith demands.

The Snake struggles against Keith, but Keith stomps on his toes, earning another grunt of pain.

“ANSWER THE QUESTION!” Keith yells.

“Keith! He’s not gonna talk!” Lance exclaims, standing up. He reaches into Keith’s back pocket and pulls out his handcuffs. “Keith, you got him. We can arrest him.” Sirens sound from outside, signaling Lance called in backup.

Keith looks at Lance with wide eyes before turning back to the Snake. He narrows his eyes. “I hope you’re ready to rot in prison, scumbag.” He yanks him from the wall, allowing Lance to put the handcuffs on the Snake. “You’re under the arrest for the murder of Killian Henston. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.”

They bring him outside and two other agents take the Snake and bring him back to the station with a couple medics to bandage up his bleeding hand. Lance stops Keith before he walks over to the car and forces him to look Lance in the eye. “Keith, your cheek is bleeding.” He waves a medic over. Keith recognizes her as one of Shay’s friends, Mindy Johnson.

“Lance, I’m fine,” Keith replies curtly. “I’ve been through worse.” He sighs, but doesn’t protest when the medic begins treating Keith’s cut. Lance doesn’t reply right away, pulling out his phone to type something. Keith tries to see what he’s doing, but hisses in pain when the medic cleans the wound.

“Sorry Agent Kogane, I don’t want it to get infected,” she apologizes. “You don’t need stitches, but there will be a scar.” She finishes bandaging him up and raises an eyebrow at him. “Don’t pick or itch at it, got it? Or else I’ll have Shay keep a close eye on you.”

“Shay isn’t even that kind of doctor!” Keith protests, turning his attention back to Mindy.

Mindy shrugs. “She still gets you to follow orders. I’ll take what I can get.” She pats his shoulder. “Take care of yourself, Keith.”

Keith sighs. “Yeah, thanks Mindy.” He waves goodbye to her then snaps his fingers in front of Lance’s face, startling him. “Yo! Are you ready to go or not?”

“What? Oh, yeah I just - yeah,” Lance replies hurriedly, shoving his phone in his pocket before pulling out the car keys. He begins walking to the car and Keith has to jog slightly to keep up.

“Lance, who were you texting?” he wonders.

“It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it.” He opens the car door and hops in the driver’s side.

Keith sighs, but doesn’t press the conversation further. He gets in the passenger’s side and sits in silence as Lance drives them back to the station. Keith feels the tension in the air between them, but doesn’t comment about it. Once they arrive at the station, they get out and make their way inside in silence. Keith arrives at the elevator first and holds the door open for Lance, but sees him with his phone out again. “Lance, you coming?” Keith asks.

He groans and lifts his phone up to his ear. “I’ll meet you in the interrogation room, okay?” He walks away and begins talking on the phone as the elevator door slides shut. Keith stands there in bewilderment and confusion as the elevator begins moving up. Why was Lance being weird all of the sudden? Was it because Keith saved his life? Well, he wasn’t just going to let the Snake _kill_ Lance - Shiro would kill him! Oh, also because Lance is Keith’s partner, but that’s not the point.

The elevator doors open and he steps out, nodding at a couple agents before making his way to Pidge’s office. Keith knocks and taps his foot impatiently, not in the mood to wait for Pidge to finish up whatever she’s doing. After a few seconds, Keith gives up waiting and opens the door, ready to yell at Pidge, but stops when he doesn’t see her at her desk. He furrows his eyebrows and looks around the room, puzzled, but jumps when a voice speaks from behind him.

“May I help you, Agent Kogane?” Pidge asks, arms crossed.

Keith puts a hand on his heart and glares at Pidge. “You nearly gave me a _heart attack_! Why are you sneaking up on me?!”

“At least _I’m_ not the one snooping around someone else’s office,” Pidge retorts, pushing past Keith. She stops and looks at him again, grabbing his face and pulling it close to hers. “What the hell happened to your cheek?”

“The Snake cut it with a knife while I was getting him away from Lance,” Keith replies quickly. “Why weren’t you in here? You’re always in here.” She releases his face and makes her way to her desk, Keith following closely behind.

“I always have lunch with Hunk,” Pidge replies casually as she logs into her computer.

“When did this start?”

“When did you get blown up again?” She gives him a knowing glare then turns back to her screen. “Anyway, why did you actually come in here?”

Keith hands her the Snake’s wallet. “I got this off the Snake. Could you get me an actual name for him along with his entire background? I want a file on this guy as soon as possible.”

Pidge nods. “Right on! I’ll bring it to your desk when I’m done. Also, Shiro wants to see you in his office.”

Keith groans. “Of course he does! I bet Lance told him about the Snake fiasco.”

“He could have stabbed you, Keith,” Pidge replies. “Don’t get mad at Shiro for caring.”

“Caring? More like micromanaging my every move. He didn’t used to do this!” Keith retorts angrily.

“That’s because you didn’t run away and nearly die before!” Pidge yells back, slamming her hands down on her chair arms.

Keith looks at her hands and sees her knuckles turning white from gripping the armrests. Her chest moves up and down sporadically from breathing so hard. He sees tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, but she’s obviously fighting to keep them in. Keith steps forward and takes a knee in front of her. “Pidge.” She shakes her head and shuts her eyes tightly, refusing to look at him. “Katie Holt, look at me right now.”

Pidge slowly opens her eyes and looks at Keith. He watches as a teardrop falls from her eye and makes its way down her cheek. “Do you need a hug?” Keith asks softly.

She nods and jumps into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, softly crying into his neck. Keith pulls her close and hugs her back, resting his chin on her head. He runs his fingers through her hair and rubs her back. “I know you don’t like hugs, but I-I appreciate you doing this,” Pidge whispers. “Ever since Matt disappeared, I felt alone, but then I got closer to you and started viewing you as an older brother.” She pulls away to look him in the eye. “Then you disappeared and almost died. I couldn’t lose another brother…that’s why I’ve been so rude to you lately. I was just mad, but you’re back now and I can’t stay mad at you. Just promise me one thing.”

Keith raises his eyebrows. “Anything.”

“Don’t leave me in the dark anymore. I will help you with anything and you know I’ll never tell Shiro anything you don’t want me to,” Pidge says.

Keith sighs. “Pidge, I-”

The door opens and Lance barges in. “The Snake is getting restless in the interrogation room. What have you found on - what are you two doing?” Lance asks.

“Hugging, obviously,” Pidge replies, pulling away from Keith and getting back into her chair. She begins typing and pulls up some information about a Samuel Kefter. “The Snake’s real name is Samuel Kefter. Not much else is here on his family, but he’s got a _lot_ of history of selling drugs. He hasn’t been caught for it…’till now.”

“Can you do any digging to find his family?” Lance asks, slipping his phone into his pocket.

Pidge groans. “I can try, but I don’t guarantee I’ll find anything. He’s been really good at staying off the grid. I need more to look for. I’m looking for a needle in a needle stack.”

Lance swipes Samuel’s wallet off the desk and begins taking things out. Keith opens his mouth to ask what Lance is doing, but shuts it when Lance pulls out a worn picture of a little girl with long brown hair pulled into two pigtail braids smiling widely at the camera. She’s missing one of her front teeth. “Daughter. He’s got a daughter.”

Pidge snaps her fingers and begins typing again. “Of course! He’d have to pay child support! Okay, his daughter’s name is Amanda Gallagher. She has her stepfather’s last name.” She types a more things out. “I’ll print all this out and keep digging to see if I find out anything else.”

Keith ruffles Pidge’s hair and takes the papers from the paper then puts them in a file folder. “Thanks, Pidge, you’re the best.”

She flips her hair dramatically. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Keith rolls his eyes and lightly pushes Lance out of the room. “Good thinking in there. I wouldn’t have thought to look through his wallet for anything - hell, I didn’t think he’d be the kind of person to carry a picture of a child…let alone have a child.”

Lance shrugs. “He wasn’t always like that so I just assumed he’d have a family before he went down the wrong path.” He looks at Keith. “My parents carry a picture of my siblings and myself with them. I bet your parents did with you before they…uh-”

Keith nods. “You don’t have to say it. I know what you mean.” He walks towards the interrogation room door, but pauses when he sees Lance behind him. “You’re coming in with me?”

Lance nods. “Yeah…unless you don’t want me to?”

“What? N-no! I didn’t mean-” Keith stammers.

Lance chuckles and smirks at him. “You’re very easily flustered; did you know that? I better put that in the file.”

Keith’s eyes widen. “What file?”

Lance simply winks at him before entering the room, holding the door open for Keith. He gestures for Keith to walk in. Keith rolls his eyes, but walks in and slams the files down on the table. “So, Samuel Kefter…I finally have a name to give that ugly face of yours.”

Samuel glares at him. “If this scar makes me ugly, then you’re about to jump in that boat, kid.”

Keith scoffs as Lance quietly takes a seat and begins shuffling through the file folder. “I got plenty of scars, this won’t make a difference.” He slams his hand on the table. “Now, enough with the bullshit. We know you killed Killian Henston.”

Samuel crosses his arms and leans back in the chair, raising an eyebrow. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“I’ve already got you on illegal possession of drugs so jail time is inevitable. Why not add a murder charge to it? It’ll make Allura Quinn’s job much easier,” Keith says, pacing back and forth in the room.

Samuel scoffs. “That bitch is going to try to put me away?”

Keith turns and glares at him. “What did you just-”

“Does the name Amanda Gallagher ring a bell?” Lance asks, interrupting the brewing argument.

Samuel freezes and his face pales. “What? H-how do you know about her?”

Lance slides the picture he found in the wallet to Samuel. “She’s your daughter, isn’t she? She’s six years old and lives in Boston, right?”

Samuel bites his lip and looks between Lance and Keith. “You can’t let anyone know about her. I’ve made too many enemies in my line of work. They’ll find her and kill her if they discover her.”

“Okay, we’ll keep our mouths shut if you answer some questions,” Keith interjects.

Samuel nods. “Anything.”

“How long have you been selling Killian drugs?” Lance wonders.

“We’ve been in business ever since he came in to get that anchor tattoo. It’s one of my best pieces I’ve ever done.” He sighs. “It’s a shame he’s dead. He told me he was up for a promotion at _Bean Me Up_. Killian sounded super excited about it and said it was really competitive.”

Lance and Keith exchange a confused expression before looking back at Samuel. “Did he mention any people he was up against?” Keith asks.

“He didn’t give me all the names, but the two that he mainly viewed as competition were two people named Barth and Delia,” Samuel shares. “Though, a couple days ago Barth was fired for harassing one of the other female employees.”

Keith looks at Lance when he sees his jaw clench. “Harassing? What do you mean by that?” Lance asks, voice strained.

“Killian was dropping off a new shipment in the back of the store when he saw him about to…you know… _do it_ ,” Samuel explains. “It definitely wasn’t consensual. Killian nearly broke the guy’s arm - damn I wish I could’ve seen it. Anyway, their boss promptly fired Barth and named Killian for the new position. Yeah, I was gonna ask him today for details about it, but he never came in. Instead, you two showed up and now I’m here.” Samuel crosses his arms.

Keith and Lance exchange a knowing expression before getting up to leave. Lance walks out the door first, but Keith stops when Samuel calls his name out. “Agent Kogane? Does this mean I can leave?”

Keith chuckles. “We have footage of you giving Killian those illegal drugs the night he died. Once we find them, you’re toast.”

“But I didn’t kill him! I went to the bar two blocks down afterwards and stayed there ‘till five in the morning!” Samuel exclaims.

“We’ll check up on that alibi, but you’re still going away for the drugs.” Keith slams the door shut and walks up to Lance. “Okay, Samuel didn’t do it.”

“I know. After his reaction when I brought up his daughter, I knew he wouldn’t do something like that to jeopardize her life,” Lance explains. “Plus, I could really tell he cared about Killian.”

“I’m still going to have Pidge check out his alibi,” Keith says as they walk over to Pidge’s office. He knocks on the door and opens it. “Pidge? We need you to check an alibi and run two background checks.”

She motions for them to walk over to her. “Gimme names.”

“Two workers at _Bean Me Up_ , Delia and Barth,” Lance lists. “We don’t have last names.”

Pidge types a few things on the computer and two pictures appear on the screen. One is the driver’s license photo of Delia Gillswind and the mugshot of Bartholomew Begsin, “Alibi?”

“The night Samuel dropped the drugs off to Killian in the alleyway. Did he keep going to the bar two blocks down?” Keith asks.

Pidge switches to another monitor and pulls up the camera feeds, showing them the drug tradeoff again. She keeps switching cameras as Samuel walks down the street before eventually walking inside the bar he said he was at. She speeds up the time and the stamp shows him stumbling out at 5:07 AM. Lance sighs and crosses his arms. “Well, at least he didn’t lie to us about that. Did you get anything on the background checks?”

Pidge switches back to the original computer and quickly skims over the information on the screen. “Delia was an honors student in high school, but dropped out of college her junior year because she couldn’t keep up with the debt anymore. Barth was arrested several times for harassing women in his past - oh wait…”

“What? Is he guilty?” Keith wonders.

Pidge shakes her head no. “According to his Facebook page, he recently won the lottery and has been in the Bahamas ever since. He wasn’t in the country when Killian died.”

“That just leaves Delia,” Keith concludes. “But judging by her past, that can’t be right.”

Lance shakes his head no. “People can do awful things under the right circumstances. Pidge, can you find her behavioral reports in high school and in college?”

“Yeah, what am I looking for within it exactly?” Pidge wonders.

Lance leans up against the desk. “When we first walked in, Delia gave us the stink eye and didn’t show she trusted us. You are intimidating at first glance, but deep down I know you’re a soft teddy bear-”

“Excuse me?”

“Shush - even after we showed her we weren’t a threat to her, she continued to stay on edge,” Lance continues, “She also didn’t show much respect towards Carl Luxburg. Sure, he’s an asshole, but you still have to respect your superiors.”

Pidge nods. “She has a history of defying those in charge of her just because she didn’t want to listen to them. She’s yelled at teachers, professors, coaches - you name it.” She types a few more things. “Oh, according to the employee logs, it turns out she was at the store the night Killian died. She didn’t clock out ‘till three forty-five in the morning.”

Lance turns to Keith. “That’s enough for an arrest.”

Keith nods at Lance and they make their way back to _Bean Me Up_. Once they enter the store, Keith makes eye contact with Delia and he can tell she knows they know. She crosses her arms as they approach her. “You can’t prove anything!” she exclaims.

“Delia, you were there the night he died. You didn’t clock out until well after the time of death,” Keith says. “We know you followed him to that alleyway and shot him.”

Delia groans loudly. “He was buying and selling drugs here! How could I be passed as the new manager by a guy who’s a druggie?!”

Keith pulls out his handcuffs and puts them on her. “You have an issue with authority. How do you expect people to respect you when you can’t do the same?” He gently shoves her towards the door. “Delia Gillswind, you are under arrest for the murder of Killian Henston. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state…”

 

* * *

 

Keith walks back through those familiar glass doors and finds himself smiling when he sees Hunk sitting back at his desk with Pidge perched in her usual spot, crossed legged on the empty spot on Keith’s desk. He turns and sees Lance walk out of the room next to the interrogation room where they keep important files, immediately heading to his office and shutting the door. Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion and goes to walk over to Lance’s office, but Allura stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Keith, I - uh - would like to apologize for the way I have been acting towards you,” Allura says solemnly. “You did great work on this case. You made my job very easy.” She chuckles. “Putting Samuel and Delia away will be a breeze with all the evidence you have given me.”

“Thank you, but most of it goes to Lance,” Keith shares, “because, without his insight, I wouldn’t have figured out some of the things we discovered.”

Allura ponders the thought for a moment before smiling fondly at Keith. “You two _do_ make a good team.”

Keith tilts his head in confusion. “Why did you say it like-”

“Keith! Allura! We need your opinions on something!” Pidge exclaims, interrupting Keith.

Hunk groans and starts complaining to Pidge about it, launching them into an argument. Allura pats Keith’s shoulder and walks over to Hunk and Pidge. Keith glances at Lance’s office door and stares at it longingly before walking to his desk, joining his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SUPER excited for everything we have planned for this AU - updates will take longer to happen, but I guarantee each update will be just as long as this one...maybe even longer.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Writer's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)  
> Artist's Tumblr: [burtburt0614](http://burtburt0614.tumblr.com/)


	2. A Christmas Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Christmas draws closer, everyone scrambles to buy last minute presents for their loved ones. For some, it costs them their life.
> 
> A series of bombs have been placed and set off at various malls in the city. Shiro's team, led by Keith, must figure out who is doing all of this and why before Christmas day otherwise they may never figure out who the Christmas Bomber is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HO HO HO IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE! Here's my early Christmas present to all of you, a Christmas-themed chapter! I worked very hard on the story and the artist worked very hard on the drawings (can you figure out my favorite picture?)
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

_ December 22 _

* * *

Lance’s hand squeezes around the handle of the Glock 22 and he takes a deep breath before taking aim at the target in front of him. He narrows his eyes and exhales slowly as his finger pulls the trigger. The bullet flies through the air and hits dead center in the target’s head. He then shoots at the target’s head and torso until a new one appears. He repeats this five times in a row, reloading the gun each time and without breaking focus or eye contact with the targets in front of him.

Once finished, he lowers the gun, takes off the protective glasses, and pulls out the earplugs. He turns to Keith and gives him a smile and a thumb up. Keith returns the smile and also gives him a thumb up. Lance takes a deep breath and turns to Hunk when he starts walking over, still writing on the clipboard. Hunk looks at Lance and smiles widely, holding his hand out for Lance to shake. “Congrats, Lance…you passed with a perfect score - not surprised though, considering you were a sniper in the army,” Hunk says.

Lance chuckles. “Yeah, well, gotta impress my partner here. He’s gotta know I’ve got his back now.”

Keith rolls his eyes from where he is. “I can hear you!”

Hunk smiles at Keith then looks back at Lance. “You can pick up your gun from my office whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks Hunk!” Lance exclaims. Hunk nods and turns around, heading towards the exit. Lance stays in his spot until Hunk leaves and closes the door. He then turns to Keith and runs over to hug him tightly. “Oh my god, Keith, thank you so much for setting this up.”

Keith’s eyes widen slightly at the hug and he awkwardly pats Lance’s back. “You earned it. You’ve been part of this team for three months now and you should have a weapon to protect yourself. Dumbass Rolo can kiss my ass if he has an issue about it. It’s my fault it took this long anyway. He was harassing Allura and Pidge a while back and I punched him in the face to get him to stop.”

“Sounds like you, punching instead of using your words,” Lance comments, releasing Keith to smile at him.

Keith shrugs. “His nose is crooked now and I only came out with a bruised hand. Not to mention he hates Hunk too, but that’s for a totally different reason.”

Lance raises an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”

Keith smirks. “You’ll have to ask Hunk that question. Come on, let’s go see if we’ve got a case.” He leads Lance towards the door.

“I’ll catch up with you,” Lance says. “I’m gonna get my gun from Hunk.”

“Roger that,” Keith replies, giving Lance a mock salute before heading towards his desk. He walks through the glass doors and spots Pidge perched in her usual spot on Keith’s desk. Keith smiles at her festive green Christmas sweater that has reindeer on it and the antlers she has on. He ruffles her hair affectionately before sitting down in his chair. As he pulls out his phone, Shiro bursts out of his office and slams the door shut.

“Keith, it’s time to suit up. There’s been reports of a bomb threat at the mall,” Shiro instructs.

Pidge gives Keith a terrified expression. “Be careful,” she warns.

Keith nods at her and immediately stands up to follow Shiro. He leads Keith to Hunk’s office where they find Lance and Hunk still talking. “Hunk, we need to leave now. There’s been reports of a bomb threat at the mall downtown,” Shiro orders.

Hunk’s eyes widen and he nods, pulling out his phone to make a call. “I’ll get bomb squad out there.” He turns and starts talking on the phone.

Keith, Shiro, and Lance grab what they need and head out to one of the SUVs waiting for them and hop in, immediately driving to the mall. Once they arrive, they hop out of the car in their protective gear, guns ready. Keith turns to Shiro. “Where did they say the bomb was located?” he asks.

“In a video game store,” Shiro replies. “Come on, we’re at the closest entrance to it.”

Keith and Lance follow Shiro inside the mall and Keith spots the video game store. He begins moving over there quickly until he sees a couple workers run out. Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion and yelps when someone grabs his waist from behind, pulling him back. Once the person releases Keith, he sees that it’s Lance and goes to yell at him when the bomb goes off. Keith, instinctively, grabs Lance this time and shields him from the explosion. His mind flashes back to the time when Haxus tried to kill him and he feels himself drifting back to that moment, but comes back to reality when he hears Lance’s voice say his name. Keith looks up and sees Lance giving him a concerned expression. “Keith? You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m-” Keith starts when he turns to look at Shiro who does  _ not _ look like he’s having a good time.

“Matt…Matt get out of here,” Shiro mumbles under his breath.

Keith releases Lance and grabs Shiro’s arms. “Shiro, you’re not there anymore.”

Shiro looks at him with wide eyes. “Matt, you need to get out of here! It-it’s not safe!”

“I’m not Matt! Shiro, I’m Keith - snap out of it!” Keith exclaims, shaking his arms. He releases Shiro and pulls out his phone, shooting Allura a text to come pick up Shiro. “I’m texting Allura to come get you.”

Shiro blinks and shakes his head. “Wait, what? No, Keith I’m f-”

“No. I’m taking the lead on this. You could have another episode,” Keith says. “We don’t need that to happen. Takashi, I’ve got this.”

Shiro sighs. “Okay, fine.”

Keith nods and turns when he sees Hunk walking over, taking his helmet off. “Well?” Keith wonders.

Hunk sighs. “We got inside, but it was too late. The bomb was set to go off. Luckily no one on the team got hurt.”

Keith’s eyes widen. “Wait, you were  _ inside _ when it went off?! Hunk, if Shay finds out-”

“Which she won’t.”

“-she’ll kill you,” Keith finishes. “Whatever, come on.” He leads them over to where the paramedics, other agents, and police officers are helping people out. “Tend to the critical victims first then move onto the conscious ones!” He turns to Hunk. “Gather bomb squad and go see if there are any other bombs in the vicinity. Lance-” He looks around for Lance and sees him walking over to a little girl, helping her to her feet before carefully lifting her up into his arms. Shay is with him bringing the little girl over to an ambulance with a woman and a little boy inside with an unconscious man on a stretcher. The mother sighs in relief when she sees the little girl and thanks Lance.

He snaps out of his thoughts when he hears someone shout at him. Keith turns and sees the head of mall security waving at him. He walks over and shakes his hand. “Hello, I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane.”

“Officer Mark Johnson. Where’s Agent Shirogane? I was told he was the lead on this investigation,” the man says.

“Takashi had to step out to deal with other things. I’m the lead now,” Keith replies.

Mark shrugs. “Alright, if you say so.”

“I’m going to need access to all the security camera footage. Is there anyone who claims to have seen anything suspicious before the explosion went off?” Keith asks.

“I can send over the tapes, and this time of year is always crazy so everything appears to be normal. I can give you a list of guards working in this area at the time. We work in shifts so they change out,” Mark shares.

“Okay, I’m also going to need their information you have them on file…police records and such,” Keith says as he finishes writing on his notepad. He slips it back in his pocket. “If you can think of anything else, here’s my card.” Keith gives Mark a slip of paper. “Even if it seems insignificant, it could help.”

Mark nods and walks away to go direct more of his other security guards around the mall. Keith walks back into the wreckage and looks around, trying to find the source of the bomb. He grimaces at the sight then sees Shay talking with Doctor Coran Smythe, the senior medical examiner who trained Shay and who goes way back with Director Alfor. Coran immediately smiles widely when he sees Keith. “Keith, my boy!” he exclaims, pulling Keith into a tight hug. “How’ve you been? I heard about what happened…how are things?”

Keith shrugs. “It’s still hard, but I’m getting over it. My shrink slash partner, Doctor Lance McClain, has been doing a great job.”

Coran nods. “Right! Yes, where is he now?”

Keith gestures over to Lance who is now walking around the crime scene, probably building a mental profile. “He’s walking around. How was England?”

Coran chuckles. “That’s a story for another time, my boy. Let’s solve this case first.”

Keith nods. “Right, you’re absolutely right.” He takes out his notepad. “How many victims do we have total?”

“Five were dead on the scene, seven are in critical condition, and fourteen with mild injuries,” Shay lists.

“Do you have IDs for the deceased ones?” Keith asks, writing the information down.

“No, but we’re working on it,” Coran answers.

Keith nods. “Okay, well, once you get the information, send it Pidge’s way. Could you…” He stops when he no longer sees Lance in the crime area. “Never mind…excuse me you two.” He walks over to where he last saw Lance and sees him squatting on the ground, looking at broken/shattered remnants of what used to be video game consoles. “Lance? What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for the cause of the explosion,” Lance replies. “I think I’m onto something. Do you see anything?”

Keith glances around then points to a destroyed box behind a demolished wall. “Could this be it?”

Lance stands up and walks over to where Keith is. “Keith, that’s the bomb itself.” He motions to one of the forensics workers. “Take this and everything around it to Hunk’s office. We need to see if he can find the makeup of this bomb.” The worker nods and starts collecting it. Lance turns back to Keith. “I’m ready to head back to the station if you are.”

Keith nods. “Let’s go.” He leads him back to the SUV and drives them back to the station.

Once they get back to the station, they make their way to the elevators and up to Pidge’s office where she should be compiling a list of families they have to talk to. Keith knocks on the door then opens it to see Pidge looking at her computer screen then writing on a piece of paper. She looks over when she hears the door shut. “Oh, hey. I have some bad news from the hospital. Five of the seven victims who were in critical condition passed away when they got to the operating table,” Pidge shares solemnly.

Keith sighs and nods. “They did the best they could, but I’m sorry to hear that.”

“The list of victims is almost finished, but the printer broke so I have to write it by hand,” Pidge says.

“You’ve got nice handwriting,” Keith says, pulling up a chair.

Pidge scoffs. “It’s nothing compared to yours. Have you seen your notebook?” She finishes writing and hands Keith the clipboard. “Okay, it’s done. None of them had any police records except for the occasional parking ticket or speeding ticket so nothing too serious. If you need them on there, I can put them on there.”

Keith shakes his head no. “This is fine.” He starts looking through the papers and reads the names. The first name Pidge has written is a 32-year-old woman named Mariana Antonsen. She’s a nurse and the mother of one child named Maxwell Antonsen. The next name is Mariana’s husband, Paul Antonsen. He’s a 32-year-old lawyer and Maxwell’s father. Next Pidge has a 23-year-old graduate student at Howard University named Isaiah Swindlehurst. Next is Emma Lungu who is a 13-year-old eighth grader who plays soccer. Keith furrows his eyebrows when he reads about Denis Morandi, a 44-year-old store owner and a single father of three. He flips through the next three people, Hadrian Van Rossem, Wendell Medved, and Kerrie Hernández. He stops when he reads Luciana Valencia, single mother of two. He quick skims over Elroy Harris before slamming the clipboard down on the desk. He grabs a pen and circles Mariana, Paul, Denis, and Luciana. “These four didn’t deserve to die at the hands of the bomber!” Keith clenches his fists. “The bastard who did this is gonna pay.”

Lance snatches the clipboard from him and reads the names Keith circled. He sighs then turns to Pidge. “Will you bring these to Shiro? He can start making phone calls to talk to the families.”

Pidge nods and takes the clipboard from him, walking out of the room.

Lance looks back at Keith. “Keith, you have to keep a level head about this. I’m sure those kids have people to take-”

“NO!” Keith yells, slamming his fist down on the desk. “They have  _ no one _ ! Their parents are dead and they’re going in the foster system!”

Lance grabs Keith’s arm and quickly drags him into his office, ignoring the looks he gets from other agents. He unlocks his office door and gently shoves Keith inside then shuts the door. “Sit down.”

“You can’t-”

“Now,” Lance orders.

Keith angrily sits down on one of Lance’s couches and crosses his arms. “What is this?”

Lance sits across from him. “Keith, you can’t be having these kinds of episodes during cases. This is exactly what Shiro was afraid of when he came to me. He didn’t want you to be reinstated, but I read about you, Keith. You’re one of the best agents the FBI has ever had and I assured Shiro this wouldn’t be a problem for you. I know kid cases get to you, but you can’t get tunnel vision.” He sighs. “Keith, throw me a bone or something. I can’t keep guessing.”

Keith takes a deep breath and nods. “Yeah…you’re right.” He tilts his head in slight confusion when Lance pulls out a notebook, but doesn’t comment on it. “I grew up an only child with two parents, as most kids did so there’s nothing that special there. My mom was an attorney and my dad worked nights a lot so I never really saw him as much as my mom. Though, when I did, he always was drunk and he got violent with me when I didn’t do what he wanted.” He fiddles with the end of his shirt. “My mom did her best to stop him, but she got hurt in the process too.” Keith bites his lip and closes his eyes. “I-I’m sorry I can’t talk about her right now.”

He hears Lance’s pen stop writing. “Keith, don’t feel forced to say anything you don’t want to,” Lance reassures him.

Keith nods and takes a deep breath. “Um, so, my dad abused me a lot when I was little because I wasn’t as strong or as tall as he wanted me to be. He thought by beating me and insulting me that it would get me to ‘man up.’ It just made me hate him more than I already did. When he finally passed, I felt somewhat relieved because my mom and I could finally live a good life together.” He feels something wet fall onto his cheek. “But one day she never came home from work and then these people came and told me I would be put in a house with other kids like me.” He bites his lip. “Lance, those houses aren’t fun. I don’t want those kids to deal with what I had to deal with. That’s why kid cases get to me sometimes.”

Lance nods. “Thank you for telling me.” He reaches up to wipe a tear off of Keith’s cheek. “I won’t tell Shiro or anyone any of this…patient confidentiality and all, but also because you’re my partner.”

Keith chuckles and wipes the rest of the tears off his face. “I thought you were writing a book about me? I have a damn good backstory that’ll make readers cry.”

Lance raises an eyebrow. “If you’ll let me use it.”

“Of course, every hero needs a heartbreaking origin story,” Keith replies with a smile.

Lance rolls his eyes and slugs Keith’s arm lightly. “Come on, let’s go see if any of the families are here yet.”

He and Keith walk out of Lance’s office just as Shiro steps out of his office. “Oh, good. You two can each take a family to talk to. The young woman out there with the little girl is Mariana’s sister and daughter. The old woman with the two other adults is Elroy’s wife and kids. The couple is Emma’s parents,” Shiro shares.

“I’ll take the sister and little girl,” Keith says.

Shiro opens his mouth to protest, but closes it when Lance starts talking. “Keith can handle them. I’ll take Emma’s parents,” Lance says.

“Alright, I’ll take Elroy’s wife and kids,” Shiro says, leading Lance and Keith to the three families. He walks up to the old woman and starts talking with her. Lance goes with Emma’s parents while Keith approaches Mariana’s sister and daughter. The woman has long, wavy black hair and tanned skin while the little girl has brown hair pulled into two pigtails on both sides of her head. The little girl’s skin is slightly darker than the woman’s.

Keith offers them a kind smile. “Hi, I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane. You must be Mariana’s sister?” He holds out his hand for her to shake.

“Yes, my name is Frieda Alberts and this is Mariana’s and Paul’s daughter Genevieve,” the woman introduces herself, shaking Keith’s hand.

“You have long hair,” Genevieve comments, looking up at Keith.

Keith kneels down in front of her. “That I do, good observation. Why do you think I do?”

Genevieve shrugs. “Do you ride a motorcycle?”

Keith chuckles. “Yes ma’am. It’s nice to meet you Genevieve.” He holds out his hand for her to shake. Genevieve smiles widely and shakes Keith’s hand. “Why don’t you take your aunt and come sit down?” Keith stands and leads them to the room where they talk to victims’ families. Frieda and Genevieve sit down on one of the couches and Keith sits on the one across from them. “May I get you two anything to drink?”

Frieda opens her mouth to reply, but her phone rings. She takes it out and sighs. “I’m so sorry Agent Keith. I have to take this.”

Keith nods. “Go ahead.” He turns to Genevieve. “Do you want anything?”

“Hot chocolate!” she exclaims with a smile.

Keith chuckles. “Alright, come with me then.” He leads her over to the mini kitchen and starts making her some hot chocolate. She sits down in one of the chairs. “So how old are you Genevieve?”

“I turned nine last week!” Genevieve exclaims. “How old are you Mister Kogane?”

“You can call me Keith, and I’m twenty-five,” Keith replies. “Happy late birthday to you.”

“When’s your birthday?” she asks, looking around the room.

“October twenty-third,” Keith replies.

“Are you a real cop?” Genevieve asks as Keith brings her the cup of hot chocolate. Keith pulls his badge out of his pocket and hands it to her. She gasps and runs her fingers over it. “My daddy was a lawyer. He said he defended people who were getting in trouble for something they didn’t do.”

“Did your dad have anyone who didn’t like him or was mean?” Keith asks, pulling out his notebook.

Genevieve shakes her head no. “Daddy was popular with his friends.”

“Friends?” Keith asks in confusion.

“That’s what I call the people he helps,” Genevieve says, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “He wins a lot for his friends, but when he loses his friends never get mad.”

Keith nods and writes it down. “What about your mom?”

“Mommy isn’t home very much because she works in the hospital saving people,” Genevieve responds.

Keith opens his mouth to ask another question, but Frieda walks back in. “I’m so sorry about that. I’m having trouble figuring out where to put Genevieve because Paul’s younger sister, Meagan, was supposed to take her in, but she bailed at the last second,” Frieda explains.

“Why’d she back out?” Keith asks.

Frieda shrugs. “I have no idea, but Paul did say Meagan bails out of a lot of things.”

Keith nods, writing that down. “So, did Paul or Mariana have any enemies?”

“No, sir. Everyone loved them since they always did their best to help those in need. Whenever one of us gets into a pickle, we can always count on Paul and Mariana to lend a hand. They volunteer at a lot of charities as well so I couldn’t imagine anyone targeting them for anything…especially not this.”

“Do you know why they were at the mall?” Keith asks.

Frieda bites her lip then turns to Genevieve. “Hey, sweetie? Will you go grab my purse from the couch room we were in before? I left it in there.”

Genevieve nods and skips out of the room. Once she’s gone, Frieda turns back to Keith. “They were at the video game store to buy Genevieve a new DS for Christmas. I can’t believe they’re gone…I don’t think it’s clicked in her head yet.”

Keith nods. “My parents died when I was around her age and it took me a while to accept it. Give her time and she’ll come around, but just make sure she ends up in a safe place, okay? The foster system is a messed-up place.”

Frieda nods. “I will, thank you Agent Keith. Please find the person responsible for this.”

“That’s my job,” Keith stands up. “Thank you for coming in, this information will help our investigation.” He shakes her hand then hands her his card. “Call this number if you remember anything else that you might think is important.”

“Okay, thank you again,” Frieda says as Genevieve gets back with her purse. “You ready to leave?”

Genevieve nods then turns to Keith. “Thank you, Mister Keith.” She skips up to him and hugs him. “The hot chocolate was really good.”

Keith chuckles and pats her head. “You’re welcome.” He waves goodbye to them then heads to the meeting room where he sees Shiro and Lance talking with each other. Shiro is writing on the board while Lance is on his computer looking at something. “So, did you guys find out anything?”

Shiro sets down the marker and shakes his head no. “Nothing the family said helped.”

Hunk suddenly walks in holding blueprints to something. “Well, this might help you guys out a bit. I couldn’t find much on the bomb because the entire thing was nearly destroyed to rubble like everything else around it, except that it was activated by a remote control. So, instead, I did some digging into the layout of the mall and narrowed down the exact stores affected by the bomb. A clothing store and a video game store were demolished, but the bomb originated in the video game store.”

Shiro turns back to the board and writes down  _ originated in video game store _ and  _ remote-control bomb _ on the board then turns back to Keith. “Elroy’s wife did mention that he was there to buy their grandson a new game for his PlayStation.”

“Paul and Mariana were there to buy a new DS for their daughter,” Keith shares.

Shiro writes that down as Lance shakes his head no. “It can’t be that simple. Emma’s parents said she was in the clothing store looking for things for her friends when the bomb went off. Plus, Shiro, didn’t you say some of the other families didn’t mention either of those stores when they talked about what their lost family member was shopping for?” Lance asks.

“Yeah, you’re right Lance,” Shiro agrees. “We can’t look to the makeup of the bomb for answers so we have to wait for the security camera feeds to come in.”

Lance groans and slams his laptop shut. “Well, that’s not gonna happen. I can’t access the feed because it hasn’t been sorted through the server yet.”

“Pidge probably just got it and is starting to sort through it,” Shiro says.

Keith turns around when someone knocks at the door and raises an eyebrow when he sees Allura standing there. “Hey, I need Hunk and Shiro to come with me to the court downstairs.”

Hunk furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “What case are you talking about?”

“The stolen gun case, remember? You IDed the stolen gun and Shiro made the arrest,” Allura says. “You two are witnesses on it.”

Shiro nods. “Allura’s right. I completely forgot about the trial.” He sets the marker down and looks at Lance and Keith. “You two can go home early. We’re not going to get much else done until Pidge finishes sorting through the feeds. We’ll pick this up again tomorrow with fresh minds.” He leads Hunk out of the room and they follow Allura to the elevators.

Keith turns to Lance and shrugs. “I’m fine with clocking out early. I can still hit the gym before it closes.”

Lance rolls his eyes. “Keith, you know you should really be resting. You had an episode today and your brain needs to rest.”

Keith rolls his eyes and walks out of the conference room to go to his desk and collect his things. Lance scrambles to pack his bag and follow him. “Keith, I’m being serious,” Lance says.

“I know you are, but I’m electing to ignore it. I didn’t have any visions,” Keith defends, leading him to the elevator.

“I saw you go somewhere else, Keith. You went back to the moment the bomb went off,” Lance reasons. “I was honestly scared, Keith. I’ve never seen you look so terrified.”

They step out of the elevator and head down to the parking garage. “Lance, I didn’t go as far as Shiro did. He thought I was Matthew Holt.”

“Yeah, that’s because I called you back before you fell back there,” Lance retorts. “I’m serious about you resting. It’s supposed to be snowing a lot tonight too. Wait, where’s your car anyway?”

Keith smirks and points to the cherry red motorcycle in front of them with the flame decorations on the side. “Here she is.”

“What?! How the hell do you ride that in this kind of weather?!” Lance demands.

Keith simply shrugs and pulls a red scarf out of his pocket and wraps it around his neck before shoving the ends into his jacket and zipping it up. He then pulls out a black beanie and puts it on his head, raising an eyebrow at Lance. “Do you have a problem with it?”

“Well, of course I do! You could slip on black ice!” Lance exclaims.

“I’m an excellent driver,” Keith replies, taking his helmet off the clip on the seat and putting it on his head. The entire helmet is tinted so Lance can’t see Keith’s face anymore. “I guess I’ll just have to give you a ride sometime to prove it.” He pulls leather gloves that actually cover the fingers out of his pocket and gets on the bike. “See you tomorrow!” Keith gives Lance a salute before riding out of the parking garage out into the snowy road.

* * *

_ December 23 _

* * *

The next day, Keith wakes up to a call from Shiro that there’s been another bomb set off during the night. He quickly gets out of bed and puts on his black jeans and black button up shirt with his red tie. He walks to where his shoes are and slips on his boots, then grabs his jacket, gloves, scarf, hat, and helmet to put on before heading out into his garage. He starts his bike, opens the garage door then rides out of it before shutting it.

Keith follows the directions Shiro sent and soon arrives where he sees Lance getting out of a nice royal blue Toyota 4Runner. He parks in front of Lance and hops off his bike, removing his helmet and taking the hat out of the helmet to put back on. They exchange a solemn expression with each other before making their way into the rubble. Keith sees Shay and Coran dealing with some dead victims and Hunk with a couple other members of the bomb squad trying to remove something from the ground.

Lance turns to Keith. “I’ll talk with Shay and Coran while you talk with Hunk and the bomb squad?”

Keith nods and walks over to Hunk as Lance walks to Shay and Coran. “What are you guys doing?” Keith asks.

“We found were the bomb was placed. Since this one seems to be in a different form than the other we might be able to get a chemical makeup of this one,” Hunk replies.

Keith pulls out his notepad. “Wait, could we be dealing with two bombers?”

Hunk shakes his head no. “Terrorism was ruled out because there was no national threat made publicly. Besides, this bomb isn’t complex enough to be made by any terrorist group.”

“How can you tell?” Keith asks as he writes.

“I can’t give you a for sure answer, but I think the chemical makeup is fairly simple. The damage wasn’t that big from both locations,” Hunk replies. “I’ll have a more definite answer once I run tests.”

“So, you think an amateur did this?” Keith wonders.

Hunk shrugs. “It’s possible, but people can Google anything these days.”

Keith nods. “Thanks Hunk. I’ll see you back at the station.” He makes his way over to Lance, Shay, and Coran who seem to be in the middle of a deep conversation. They seem to be each offering something and the other two either nod in agreement or shake their head in disagreement.

“…newest model?” Lance finishes asking.

“I think it’s called the Xbox Two?” Shay suggests.

“It’s the Xbox One X. Why are you guys talking about that?” Keith wonders as he stands next to Lance.

“Coran and Shay say that several of the victims they’ve looked at had just purchased one,” Lance shares.

Keith blinks in confusion. “Okay, this is a game store. How is this relevant?”

Lance smiles widely and grabs Keith’s hands. “Because, it’s enough to build a profile! Look, imagine this. Some person wants this new Xbox because it’s better and offers more games, but they can’t get it for whatever reason that may be - money, parents, etcetera. They see all these people buying the console when said person can’t, they get mad and make it so that no one can get it.”

“Wow…you got all that from some purchases and a location?” Keith asks.

Lance nods. “Yeah! Come on, we gotta tell Shiro the news.” He drags Keith to their rides and releases Keith’s hand once they get to his motorcycle. “I’ll see you there.” Lance hops in his car while Keith gets on his bike and they head to the station.

Once they get there, they find Shiro discussing something with Pidge. She’s waving her arms around and has a wide smile on her face while she talks, but Shiro doesn’t look happy about it. Keith tries to get closer to listen to the conversation, but stops in his tracks when he sees Shiro snatch the file from Pidge’s hand and rips it in half. He points his finger at her, says something, and then walks away fuming.

Keith exchanges a worried expression with Lance then goes up to Pidge. He puts a hand on her shoulder and goes to ask her what happened, but stops when he sees tears falling down her cheeks. Keith looks around and puts an arm around her shoulders, then takes her into the elevator with Lance following closely behind.

Once they’re in the elevator, Pidge clings to Keith and starts crying. “I found information on Matt’s case! I-I wanted to show Shiro what I found so I did…and-and he yelled at me!” She sobs into Keith’s chest. “He said to let it go then took Matt’s missing persons file and ripped it up!”

Keith hugs her tightly as the elevator door opens. Lance steps out to make sure the coast is clear before motioning for Keith to take Pidge out then leads them to her office. Lance opens the door and lets Keith and Pidge in before shutting the door. Keith sits on the couch in her office and Pidge lays down with her head on his lap. Lance sits across from them and exchanges a sad expression with Keith.

“What information did you find?” Keith asks.

“I found some more information on the people who could’ve taken him - I even found a name!” Pidge exclaims. “But Shiro said he didn’t want to pursue it. I think he lost hope in finding him.”

“I can look into the lead if you want,” Keith offers.

She sits up and looks at him. “Wait, are you serious?”

Keith nods. “Of course. I wanna find your brother too.”

“We can look into your mother’s file too! Maybe they’re connected in some way!” Pidge exclaims. “You know, I do have some theories-”

“No,” Lance interrupts. “The last time this happened Keith nearly got blown up and I had to be called in to make sure that never happens again.”

“Lance, that only happened because Keith pursued a lead on his own without telling anyone. He’ll have me watching his back,” Pidge counters.

Lance shakes his head and stands up. “No. It’s not good for his health and I won’t let it happen.”

Keith opens his mouth to retort, but stops when his and Lance’s phones buzz, telling them that there’s been a bomb threat at another video game store in another mall. They don’t know where the bomb could be or if it’s legit.

Pidge immediately sits up. “You guys better go. I’ll be fine.”

Keith nods and leads Lance out to the parking garage into one of the SUVs then begins driving them towards the mall. Once they arrive, they walk in and find no one in the surrounding shops and the workers outside the shop with a few mall security guards. Keith leads Lance inside and they begin looking around. Lance walks alongside the wall of PS4 games while Keith walks by some boxes that have old, used Xboxes in them. He spots something weird, but, when he walks over to it, he steps on a Dance Dance Revolution mat. Something clicks and Keith freezes in his tracks. He bites his lip and clenches his fists. “Lance?” he asks, voice breaking.

Lance whirls around and hurries over. “Keith! What-”

“Don’t come any closer!” Keith exclaims. “I think I triggered the bomb.”

Lance takes a deep breath. “Okay, everything’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna call Hunk and-”

“No! I recognize that sound! I triggered a timer and if I move the whole place will blow up,” Keith says.

Lance nods and kneels down, following the wire of the dance mat and sees it plugged into an old Xbox 360. He carefully steps over the wire and hurries into the storage room then comes back with a toolkit which he uses to move the top off of the game system, revealing the bomb. Lance sighs and looks at Keith with a solemn expression. “There’s only seven minutes left on it.”

“That’s not enough time for bomb squad to get out here,” Keith says. “Clear the area and save yourself. I’ll be fine.”

Lance stands up and shakes his head. “Not gonna happen, Kogane.” He looks out of the store at the security guards. “Clear the mall, we found the bomb and are going to defuse it!” he then pulls out his phone to shoot Hunk a text before kneeling back down.

“Lance, what are you doing?! You don’t know how to defuse a bomb!” Keith exclaims.

“I know, but, until Hunk and the bomb squad get here, I have to stop this timer,” Lance explains.

Keith begins breathing heavily, looking around the room as it starts to become fuzzy, shifting back to when he was in the hallway with Haxus. He hears Haxus laughing at him now.  _ You’re a coward, Kogane _ , he taunts.  _ You’ll never be a real agent again. _

He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to get the sounds and voices out of his head but they never leave. He whimpers and flinches in his mind as he watches Lance get blown up by his carelessness and sees Pidge crying over Keith’s actual death.

“Keith!” Lance exclaims, snapping him back to reality. “You gotta clear your mind of the bad stuff! Focus on something in the room, but you can’t go back to that place!”

“Okay,” Keith replies in a whisper.

He looks down to where Lance’s hands are quickly working, carefully sifting through the mechanics of the bomb to find the right wire to cut to stop the timer. Keith furrows his eyebrows, recognizing some of the components of the bomb, but doesn’t think much of it. He focuses on watching Lance’s hands work. He notices that the pads are calloused, probably from his time as a sniper. They never twitch in nervousness, staying steady so he doesn’t cut something he wasn’t supposed to. Keith’s eyes flicker to the timer and sees it reads 40 seconds left. “Lance, please…save yourself.”

Lance ignores him and huffs, before wincing and cutting a wire. Keith’s eyes widen as the clock stops on 32 seconds and sighs in relief. “Oh my god,” Lance says with a sigh, sitting back on the ground.

Keith chuckles and feels a tear roll down his cheek. “Thank you.”

“The bomb is still active, but we’re in no immediate danger,” Lance replies, standing up. He walks right up to Keith, as close as he can get without stepping on the mat and looks him in the eyes. Keith’s gaze flickers over to Hunk and the bomb squad as they walk in to finish defusing the bomb. “No, look at me. Don’t pay any attention to them.”

Keith holds his breath and nods. Getting a closer look at Lance’s face, he notices faint freckles scattered all across his cheeks and nose. His eyes have light blue specks scattered around in them. Keith’s gaze flickers down to his mouth where he sees it moving, but can’t hear anything. Everything around him goes quiet as if Lance is the only thing in the room. Keith moves his gaze back up to Lance’s eyes and notices his long lashes and perfect eyebrows.

Did he always look this good?

“Done!” Hunk exclaims, breaking Keith out of his thoughts.

Lance immediately pulls Keith off the mat and hugs him tightly. Keith squeezes his eyes shut and holds Lance tightly as Hunk and the rest of the bomb squad take the defused bomb back to bring it to Hunk’s office and look around for any other bombs.

“Lance, why didn’t you leave me?” Keith asks, whispering in Lance’s ear.

“You’re my partner, Keith. I would never abandon you,” he replies.

Keith feels himself getting emotional again so he releases Lance and pushes him away lightly. “Right, well, we should-” His phone buzzes and he sees an angry text message from Pidge.

_ Pidge: _ _ WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! STOP TRYING TO GET BLOWN UP! Also, I finished going through the camera feeds…you’re gonna wanna see this _

_ Keith: _ _ i’m sorry… _

_ what’d you find? _

_ Pidge: _ _ Get your sorry ass back to the station and maybe I’ll tell you - I’ll be in Hunk’s office btw _

Keith sighs and puts his phone away. “We should head back. Pidge found something on the camera feeds.”

Lance nods. “Did she tell you what?”

“No, she’s mad at me for almost getting blown up again,” Keith replies.

Lance smiles. “I don’t blame her.”

They head back to the SUV and Keith drives them back to the station. He parks the car in the parking garage and they make their way to the elevators, heading to the third-floor. They exit the elevator and make their way into Hunk’s office where they hear him arguing with someone.

“Let me do my job! I didn’t ask for you to come in here!” Hunk exclaims.

“You couldn’t remember the simple configuration of sodium hypochlorite!” Pidge’s voice retorts. “So, yeah, you did ask me in here! I-” She stops when she sees Keith and Lance walk in. “Hmph, glad to see you’re not dead.” She crosses her arms.

“I was never gonna die, Pidge. Lance stopped the timer and Hunk defused the bomb,” Keith reassures her. “Why are you guys making a list of household cleaners?”

“This is what we found in the bomb,” Hunk explains. “Bleach, Windex…I don’t understand why these ingredients would be used. People typically use C-4 or, you know, dynamite.”

“Well, this tells us the bomb was homemade,” Lance says.

“Oh, yeah, because that narrows it down. Anyone could have access to this crap!” Keith exclaims. “We’re getting nowhere looking at this nonsense.” He looks at Pidge. “What did your camera feeds tell you?”

Pidge rolls her eyes and hands him a file. “Benji Kastill was present at the stores where the first two bombs went off. He even worked in the first location, but was fired,” she explains. “The pictures of him on the feeds are in there.”

“Age thirty-four, spent time in jail for buying and selling cocaine,” Keith reads. “Hmm, this could be our guy. Have you looked at the feeds for the third location?”

“Sifting through them now and if the computer spots him there, you’ve got your guy,” Pidge replies. “Shiro already sent two agents to pick him up. He should be here for you to interrogate soon.”

“Wait, he doesn’t fit the profile I built,” Lance says.

Keith sighs. “What profile?”

“About the Xboxes! A young male, late teens to early twenties is angry that he’s unable to get the new Xbox One X so he’s making sure no one else can get it,” Lance explains. “Benji here doesn’t fit the profile age.”

“Lance, I’m gonna interrogate this guy. He might have information,” Keith replies. “You’re not gonna stop me.” He turns to Hunk. “Do you have pictures of all three bombs?”

Hunk nods and hands them to Keith. “I have more of the third bomb because it obviously never blew up.”

Keith quickly thanks him and heads for the interrogation room while Lance walks into the room next door to observe. He walks in and raises his eyebrows slightly when he sees a very thin, timid looking man sitting at the table.

Benji turns and looks at Keith with a terrified expression. “You’ve gotta let me go! I’m innocent! I didn’t do anything wrong! I didn’t blow up those stores!”

“Really? Not according to these security camera pictures of you,” Keith says, placing them on the table. “You were seen at both stores moments before they blew up.”

“That doesn’t mean I blew them up!” Benji exclaims.

Keith places the pictures of the bombs on the table. “These look familiar? The things you made to kill people? I’m not in the mood for lies considering this third one almost killed my partner…I don’t take that kind of shit lightly. I suggest you start giving me answers now.”

“I’m telling the truth! I didn’t make those bombs!” Benji rubs his forehead. “Look, I wasn’t even an employee by that time. I went in to collect my last paycheck. They fired me because I broke a couple boxes. I was in and was out in a matter of seconds…well it took a little longer since this kid and his mom were arguing with each other in line.”

Keith blinks. “Whoa wait. They were arguing? When was this?”

“I just walked in the store and was talking to my old manager, but then the kid called him over and started arguing with him and his mom,” Benji explains. “His mom wouldn’t buy him the new Xbox because he already had the 360 and they were getting it fixed right now. He threatened to  _ destroy _ his mom for doing this to him and promptly stormed out.”

“Do you remember what this kid looked like?” Keith asks.

Benji shakes his head no. “I only saw the back of his head.” He pauses for a moment. “But I do remember hearing his voice at the second store I was in. He was on the phone with someone, asking for the Xbox again because it was apparently cheaper there, but he was not happy with the results. I think he was returning a game.”

Keith thinks for a moment before standing up, collecting the papers, and heading towards the door.

“Does this mean I can go?!” Benji asks.

Keith shuts the door without responding and looks at Lance with wide eyes when he leaves the room next to him. “Lance, we have a big problem. I don’t think Benji’s our guy.”

“I know. I said that already,” Lance replies.

“We need to find Pidge…now,” Keith says, dragging Lance towards Hunk’s office where they see him still working on the bomb and Pidge typing away on her laptop. “Pidge! I need the security footage from the last video game store we were at today.”

“Okay, how far back should I look today?” Pidge asks.

“Eleven,” Keith answers.

She types a few things then turns the laptop to show Keith, but he swipes it from her hands. “Hey! Keith!”

Keith ignores her and quickly takes it back into the interrogation room, startling Benji. “Agent, what-” Benji starts.

“I’m going to play you the camera footage from at the video game store today and you tell me if you hear the kid’s voice,” Keith instructs.

Benji nods and Keith presses play on the feed and watches as Benji focuses on the screen, shaking his head at the voices he hears until his eyes widen and he points at the screen. “There! That’s the kid! I recognize that blue hoodie!” he exclaims.

Keith turns the laptop a bit and pauses it. “I can’t see his face.”

“Yeah, but I know for sure that that’s him. I think I recognize the worker talking to him though,” Benji says. “Her name is Silvia Wood. She used to work with me at the video game shop I was fired from, but she got moved to the one she’s at now.”

Keith turns to the one-way glass and nods at the agent inside there, signaling them to release Benji. “Thank you, Benji. You’ve been a big help.” He shuts the laptop and leaves the interrogation room, heading back to Hunk’s office to find Lance and return Pidge’s laptop to her. He hands it to her while looking at Lance. “I know who we have to talk to. Benji was able to ID the voice in the video, but there wasn’t a good angle of his face. He did tell me the name of the worker the kid talked to.”

Lance nods. “Great! Let’s go talk to her!”

Keith smiles and leads Lance to the elevators and down to the parking garage where they hop in the SUV and drive to the video game shop. Once they arrive, Keith spots Silvia shelving some games that were knocked down. He slowly approaches her, Lance trailing behind. “Silvia Wood?”

She turns and stands up. “Yes, that’s me. May I help you?”

Keith flashes his badge to her. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is my partner, Doctor Lance McClain. We need to ask you some questions about a customer you served today around eleven thirty this morning.”

Silvia nods. “Of course. What do you need to know?”

“Did he bring anything suspicious into the store? We have reasons to believe he’s the one who brought in the bomb that almost blew this place up,” Lance says.

Silvia’s eyes widen in fear. “Oh, um, he brought in an Xbox 360 with a Dance Dance Revolution mat connected to it, claiming neither worked and demanded they be fixed - he was very rude. Anyway, I told him we would look at it and he seemed satisfied with that and left. Since it’s not my job to actually test out and fix the consoles we get, I just put it in the back then went on my lunch break at noon. I had no idea there was a bomb inside.”

“Do you think you could recall what he looked like to a sketch artist so we can get the boy’s face?” Keith asks.

Silvia shakes her head no. “That won’t be necessary. I have his name and information on file. I’ll go print it out for you.”

Keith nods at her then turns to Lance. “This makes sense…only a teen would be this careless about revealing his identity. It fits the profile too since Hunk told me the bombs were very simple. He probably Googled it or something along those lines,” Lance shares.

Keith goes to reply, but Silvia comes back with a sheet of paper. “His name is Cooper Carlton. The address and phone number are listed there too,” Silvia says.

“Thank you, Silvia,” Lance says before following Keith out of the store.

Keith drives them to Cooper’s house to arrest him and parks in front of his one-story house in the small cul-de-sac neighborhood. He leads Lance to the front door and rings the doorbell. After a few seconds, a woman with a brown bob and very pale skin opens the door. Keith shows her his badge. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is my partner, Doctor Lance McClain. We need to speak with your son.”

“Cooper isn’t here right now…what’s this about?!” the woman demands.

Keith sighs. “Ma’am, have you heard about the bombings at the video game stores? We have reason to believe he’s the one behind it.”

“Impossible! Cooper would never do such a thing! You may not arrest my son without a warrant! Good day!” She slams the door in their faces and Keith feels himself wanting to kick down the door.

Instead of destroying the front door, he storms off the porch and paces back and forth. “I should arrest that awful woman for obstruction of justice!”

“That won’t help anyone, Keith. We’re just gonna have to ask Allura to get us a warrant from a judge before we can do anything else,” Lance says.

Keith pulls out his phone and calls Allura. It rings a few times before she picks up. “Hello?”

“Allura, it’s Keith. I need you to get me a warrant for Cooper Carlton’s arrest. His mom won’t let us near him without a warrant,” Keith says.

Allura sighs through the phone. “I can try, Keith, but I do not think I will be able to get you one until tomorrow morning. The judges are very busy right now.”

“Thanks anyway,” Keith replies before hanging up. He groans in frustration and goes to throw his phone in the snow, but Lance grabs his arm and stops him.

“Let’s just head back to the station and tell Shiro what we’ve found so far, alright? Cooper won’t be able to do anything now that his mom knows the FBI are involved,” Lance says.

Keith takes a deep breath and nods. “You’re right.” He hops in the driver’s seat and drives them back to the station. They head to the elevators and go to the third floor where they see Shiro sitting in the meeting room, studying the evidence board. “Shiro?” Keith asks as he and Lance walk in. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out the missing pieces to Lance’s profile,” Shiro answers. “I’m not sure what-”

Lance walks up to the board and begins filling in the missing aspects while Keith takes a seat next to Shiro. “We found the culprit. It’s a sixteen-year-old named Cooper Carlton.”

“How did you find this out? I’ve been busy helping Allura out with some things down at the courts so I haven’t been able to check in,” Shiro says.

“Well,” Lance says, turning around. “My original profile had to do with the new release of the Xbox one and the possibility that someone couldn’t get it so they were making sure no one else could get it. After learning more about what was inside the bomb, we discovered that it was made out of common household cleaners. According to Hunk, the bomb is a very simple model…something anyone could Google and find out how to make if they were that determined to. From this, I deduced the suspect to be between late teens to early twenties. After the man Benji Kastill IDed a boy who he saw at two of the previous bombing locations, Keith showed him the security feeds of the third one where Benji saw him talking to one of his former coworkers. We talked to her and she led us to Cooper’s address where we met his  _ lovely _ mother.”

“She was not lovely,” Keith adds.

Shiro chuckles. “Well, that’s some good work you two did today. You can’t do much more until Allura gets you the warrant which definitely won’t be ‘till tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure Allura gets it to you first thing when you two come in tomorrow.” He stands up. “Get some rest and get home before the roads get worse.” He frowns at Keith. “I’m talking to you Mister I-Can-Ride-A-Motorcycle-All-Year.”

Keith shrugs and stands up. “Hey, Red’s been doing a good job out there. I’m not gonna complain.”

Lance rolls his eyes. “The day you slide off the road and die is the day I kill you.” He points at Keith. “Not kidding.”

Keith snickers and follows Lance out, waving goodbye to Shiro. He walks to his desk and grabs his gloves, scarf, hat, and helmet before walking to the elevators with Lance. They make their way to the parking garage and Keith puts his gloves, hat, and scarf on before mounting his bike. He puts his helmet on and starts his motorcycle. Lance shakes his head at Keith from inside his Toyota and starts his own car up. He pulls out of his spot and Keith follows closely behind. Lance turns right out of the garage and Keith turns left, each going their separate ways.

* * *

_ Christmas Eve _

* * *

The next day, Keith arrives at the parking garage, dismounting his bike to walk inside. He removes his helmet and puts his beanie back on because it’s very cold out and Keith’s ears are still frozen. He walks inside and Allura walks up to him right away. “I got the arrest warrant and sent two agents to go pick up Cooper Carlton right now,” she informs him.

Keith nods and looks as the agents come back with Cooper in handcuffs as they bring him to the interrogation room. He eyes the kid with narrowed eyes, already sensing he’s gonna wanna kick this kid’s ass. Just by looking at the clothes he has on and the expensive Nikes Cooper has on, Keith knows this kid is spoiled. “I can’t wait to rip that kid to shreds,” Keith says through clenched teeth.

“As much as I would love to see that, you have to wait for his  _ defense attorney _ to get here,” Allura replies, disgust in her voice.

“Why say it with that tone?” Keith wonders.

Allura scoffs. “You will find out.”

As if on cue, the front doors open and a woman walks inside, making Keith want to punch a wall.  _ Nyma Valentina _ , he angrily thinks to himself. He sees her infuriatingly long, golden blonde hair pulled into a ponytail instead of curled and flowing like she usually has it when she’s in the courtroom. Allura claims it’s so the male judges get distracted by her “beauty” and rule in her favor. Nyma only puts it in a ponytail when she knows she has to be in an interrogation room with one of her clients. Keith’s frown deepens when he sees Nyma brush some snow off her cream-colored fur jacket before walking across the marble floor in her loud, obnoxious black heels.

Allura pats his back. “Good luck, Keith. I know you can do this.” She offers him a smile before walking away.

Keith goes to head to the elevators, but someone bumps into him from behind and he turns to see Lance out of breath, mumbling apologizes for running into him. He tries to step around Keith, but Keith puts his hands on Lance’s shoulders and stops him. “Lance, what are you doing?” he wonders.

Lance looks up and sighs of relief. “Oh, thank God I ran into you. I’m sorry for being late. My family’s flight got delayed from last night so they didn’t get in ‘till this morning. I had to drive them to the hotel then Marco forgot-”

Keith covers Lance’s mouth with his gloved hand. “Lance, you’re rambling. I’m not gonna tell Shiro you were a couple minutes late.” He removes his hand then leads him towards the elevators. “Allura got that arrest warrant so now I have to go and interrogate Cooper Carlton. Are you going to join me in the room?”

Lance nods. “Of course. We always get the confession together.”

Keith chuckles and presses the third-floor button once they get on the elevator. “Right, well, this confession might be a bit more difficult to get. The defense attorney we’re dealing with is a real bitch. Nyma Valentina is like the devil himself trapped in a body that is worse than the nine circles of hell.”

“Keith, I’m sure you’re just overreacting,” Lance replies with a chuckle. “You hate a lot of people.”

“Just ask Allura if you don’t believe me! She’ll tell you all the shit Nyma’s pulled,” Keith says as they walk up to the interrogation room door. He opens it and lets Lance walk in first then walks in himself, slamming the door shut.

“I think that aggression is unnecessary, Agent Kogane,” Nyma taunts from her seat next to Cooper. Keith shoots her a glare and she gives him a confused expression before turning to Lance. She smiles widely at him, making sure to show off her white teeth. “Oh, hello! I don’t believe we’ve met before.” She stands up and offers her hand for Lance to shake. “I’m Nyma Valentina.”

Lance shakes her hand and returns the smile. “I’m Doctor Lance McClain.”

“Oh,  _ doctor _ .” She chuckles. “Fancy. Might I just say I love how your glasses bring out your beautiful sea blue eyes.” Nyma blinks innocently at him. “They’re very mesmerizing.”

Keith resists the urge to put a bullet through her skull or a knife through her heart. Is she  _ trying _ to get in Lance’s pants?!

“Thank you, Nyma,” Lance says. “That’s very kind of you to say.” He gives Keith a side glance before looking back at Nyma.

“Oh, you’re very welcome. So, how did you get paired up with Keith as a partner? Last I checked he was a lone wolf,” Nyma comments.

“Takashi Shirogane called me in to build profiles for the cases he and his team solves for an added aspect,” Lance explains. “He put me as Keith’s partner because he felt what we both brought to the table would complement each other nicely.”

“I’m not sure Keith’s philosophy of ‘shoot first, questions later’ brings much to the table,” Nyma comments.

Lance chuckles. “It helps with arrests, but that’s why I’m here.” He turns to Keith. “I’m kinda like his impulse control.”

Keith sees Nyma open her mouth to ask another question, but he slams his hand down on the desk, startling all three of them. “I think it’s time to start the interrogation.” He then glares at Cooper. “Why did you blow up those video game stores, Cooper?”

“Don’t answer that question, Cooper,” Nyma instructs.

Cooper crosses his arms and sticks his tongue out at Keith. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that!” he taunts.

“Alright, let me ask this question then.” Keith clears his throat. “Why were you at all three video game stores in the span of two days?”

Cooper looks to Nyma and she sighs. “You can answer that one.”

Cooper groans loudly. “I wanted a game, but the first one didn’t have it so I tried the other ones.”

“Did you find the game?” Keith asks.

Cooper shakes his head no then coughs. “Tell your Mexican servant to get me a glass of water.

Keith blinks in shock at Cooper. He turns to Lance then back to Cooper. “Are-are you talking about my partner?”

“Duh, are you retarded?! Do what I say!” Cooper demands.

Nyma raises her eyebrows, but says nothing to stop him. Keith stands up and glares at Cooper. “Listen here, punk, I’m not one to be pushed around by some little brat. First of all, he’s Cuban, not Mexican, you piece of-”

“Keith,” Lance warns. “You can’t insult-”

“I’ll do what I damn well want! If this spoiled brat thinks he can treat us with disrespect, I’m gonna treat him with disrespect,” Keith replies angrily. He turns back to Cooper. “Listen here, we have video proof of you bringing in three different packages into each store moments before the bombs went off. That’s enough evidence to put you on trial without a confession, but a confession would make your sentence less brutal.” Keith sits back down and glares harder at Cooper. “But your third bomb nearly blew up my partner and I so I’m gonna fight extra hard for something not even your little harlot of a defense attorney can do to protect you.” He slams his fist on the table, startling Cooper into giving Keith a terrified expression. “Tell me what I want to know…now.”

Nyma looks from Keith to Lance. “You have video proof?” She huffs, rolling her eyes and turns to Cooper. “If you confess, the judge will take that into consideration when you go to trial then I’ll do my best to get that sentence reduced even more. This is the only out I can give to you.”

“But mom said I wouldn’t go to jail!” Cooper yells, stomping his foot. “I don’t wanna go to jail! Those stupid people don’t deserve the Xbox One X! I deserve it!” He stomps his foot some more. “I WANT IT! I’M GONNA BLOW MORE OF THEM UP!”

Nyma rolls her eyes and rubs her forehead. “Idiot.”

Cooper yells then immediately bursts into tears when Keith pulls his handcuffs out. He tries taking a swing at Keith, but Keith easily dodges and nails him in the side where he falls on the ground, crying more. Keith puts the handcuffs on the kid and yanks him to his feet. “See you in court, brat,” Keith whispers in Cooper’s ear as he hands him off to another agent.

Keith smiles at Cooper’s screaming protests and turns to tell Lance good job, but his smile disappears when he sees him and Nyma talking with each other some more. Nyma grabs hold of her ponytail and looks at it before smiling at Lance, seeming to thank him for a compliment. Keith huffs in frustration and storms out of the interrogation room, nearly plowing over Pidge. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly.

Pidge raises an eyebrow and goes to ask what’s wrong, but nods in understanding once Lance and Nyma exit the interrogation room, still chatting. She pulls Keith aside. “Okay, so forget about Lance and Nyma for a second. I’ve got some huge news for you in an email I sent, but you can’t open it until you’re completely alone,” Pidge shares. “Anyway! Time to celebrate Christmas!” She skips over to Lance and pulls him away from Nyma. He waves goodbye to her and gets pulled into the room where the desks are. Keith looks at Nyma with a somewhat hurt expression, but she simply replies with an eyebrow raise and a shrug before entering the elevator. As the doors close, she mouths:  _ jealous much? _

* * *

Allura laughs loudly and claps her hands together. “Amazing, Pidge!”

Pidge bows dramatically. “Thank you, thank you.”

“How did you manage to do what?” Lance asks, taking a seat next to Keith who is still glaring at the smirking Pidge. Lance went to the bathroom to change into his green Christmas sweater.

Hunk chuckles. “You missed Pidge put a Santa hat on Keith’s head!”

Keith crosses his arms. “This is harassment.”

Pidge smirks again. “Oh, come on, you like it.”

“You do look very festive, Keith,” Shay comments. “It makes up for the lack of holiday sweater.”

“I don’t wear holiday sweaters,” Keith replies dully. He nods in thanks to Shiro when he brings him over a mug of hot chocolate.

“Alright, let’s not bother Keith anymore. He did lead a successful case during the past two days,” Shiro says, taking a seat between Allura and Hunk. He looks above where Hunk and Shay are and sees mistletoe dangling from the ceiling. “Uh, who put that up there?”

Everyone turns their heads and sees the mistletoe. Shay and Hunk immediately blush and look away while Pidge, Allura, and Keith laugh at them. “KISS! KISS! KISS!” Pidge and Allura chant.

“Who put that there?!” Hunk demands. “I swear I’ll-”

Shay interrupts him by grabbing his face and kissing him. Hunk’s eyes widen in surprise before he kisses her back. Allura aww’s and takes a picture with her phone while Pidge laughs. Keith finds himself smiling at them, but his gaze wanders over to Lance where he sees Lance smiling proudly at Hunk and Shay. He never notices Keith staring at him with a fond expression.

After a few more seconds, Shay breaks apart from Hunk and smiles at him. “Okay, is that enough for you to ask me out on a date?”

“Uhh…” Hunk trails off, still in a daze from the kiss.

Lance rolls his eyes. “Hunk! Don’t let my hard work go to waste! Say yes!”

Hunk whirls and glares at Lance. “You put it up there?! Why I-” He turns back to Shay. “Wait, you wanna go out with me? Are you serious? Oh my God! Shay, will you-”

“Yes!” she exclaims before hugging Hunk tightly.

Everyone cheers for them, but Pidge stops when her phone buzzes. “Oh crap, I gotta head home now. The fam is here and my mom is freaking out. It’s been fun seeing Keith and Hunk suffer, but I gotta head home.” She grabs her bag and a plate of cookies Hunk made. “I’ll see you guys later!” She waves and heads out.

Allura stands up and brushes her dress off. “I should head out too. My father and Coran should be waiting downstairs. Our families celebrate together.” She grabs a plate of Hunk’s cookies. “Have a Merry Christmas everyone!” She heads out.

Shiro stands next, pulling his phone out. “Yep, that’s what I thought. I gotta head home and help with the nieces and nephews. Good work today and have a Merry Christmas!” He answers the phone and walks out.

Hunk and Shay look at each other and nod. “We should get going too. My mom is gonna be stoked to find out I finally asked Shay out.”

“Even though I’ve been part of the Garett family since forever,” Shay adds, smiling fondly at Hunk.

“Merry Christmas guys!” Hunk exclaims as he and Shay leave.

Once they’re gone, Keith goes back to his desk, removing the Santa hat and finishes up the write up for the case. Lance grabs his coat and other winter stuff and walks over to Keith. “Why aren’t you going home?” he wonders.

“I never go home for Christmas,” Keith replies as he types.

Lance closes his laptop partially, forcing Keith to look at him. “Why not?”

Keith shrugs. “No one to celebrate with.”

Lance frowns. “What?! That’s awful!” He thinks for a moment. “Hey, you know what? You should come celebrate with my family and I! They just flew in from Florida and would love to meet you.”

Keith raises his eyebrows, surprised by the offer, but shakes his head no. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t wanna intrude. Besides, I really need to finish this write up.”

Lance sighs, but nods. “Okay, well, Merry Christmas Keith.” He pats Keith’s back then leaves the room.

Once Lance enters the elevator, Keith opens up his email and clicks on the message from Pidge. Several attachments are in it and the message reads:

_ It’s time we figure out what happened to your mother and my brother. If Shiro won’t help and Lance will just turn us in, we’re on our own. What do you say? Are you in? _

Keith bites his lip and ponders the thought. He doesn’t care about going behind Shiro’s back since he does that on a regular basis, but what has him worried is going behind Lance’s back. He made a promise to Lance that he wouldn’t go digging into anything…but he has to know and with Pidge’s help, he’ll get those answers.

Taking a deep breath, Keith responds to the message with:  _ Let’s do it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite picture is.........Keith glaring at Pidge! He looks like he's about ready to murder her and, honestly, mood. Have a happy holidays everyone and happy new year!
> 
> Update on the Hogwarts/Harry Potter AU...the second book is completely written, but the chapters won't start being posted 'till after the new year. I will be in Florida for the new year in Universal Studios and plan on working on another project (the High School AU) while I'm down there.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Writer's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)  
> Artist's Tumblr: [burtburt0614](http://burtburt0614.tumblr.com/)


	3. Breathless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To open up, Allura and Nyma "battle" it out in the court room about a domestic violence case. Allura fights to put the defendant away while Nyma does everything she can to prove her client is innocent. It's up to the jury to decide whether the defendant is guilt or not.
> 
> Four days later the team gets a case about two boys they found buried underground in the strangest way. As they work to solve the crime, two members are put in grave danger. The team must work against the clock to save their missing teammates or else they may never see them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is nearly 20k words. 18,179 to be exact. This chapter was so fun to write and you'll get to see things from Lance's point of view as well as Keith's.
> 
>  
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: Picture #4 has blood on it so if that isn't your mojo, skip over it. When Pidge shares about the note she wrote, know it's coming.**
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy!

Allura takes a deep breath and stands up, smiling at the judge then at the jury. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Allura Quinn and I am representing Amelia Pashy in this case. Over the seven years Amelia and the defendant, Henry Pashy, have been married, she has suffered insurmountable amounts of abuse, both physically and mentally. The evidence will show you that the defendant committed these heinous atrocities against his wife and attempted to murder her during the night in question at the dinner party Amelia and the defendant hosted. Technical analyst Katherine Holt will tell you how Amelia’s medical records were obtained and text messages and emails exchanged between the defendant with Amelia and with his friends. You will find that the conversations between the defendant and Amelia are very different than the conversations he has with his friends.

“Next, Doctor Lance McClain, who is the team’s psychological profiler, will give you his initial profile on Amelia’s state of mind, his evaluation of the obtained medical records, and his evaluation on the texts and emails sent by the defendant. He will explain how the messages sent to the defendant’s wife are extremely different than the ones exchanged with the defendant’s friends. After that, Special Agent Keith Kogane will explain the defendant’s cold attitude towards him, personally, and his team along with his refusal to cooperate throughout the entire investigation.

“Finally, Samuel Donnelly, Amelia’s close friend since college, will testify exactly what he saw the night of the attack at the dinner party. At the end of the trial, I am certain that you will find the defendant, Henry Pashy, guilty of domestic assault in the first degree and attempted murder in the first degree.” Allura smiles at the jury again and nods at the judge, signaling him that she’s done.

The judge gestures to Nyma, allowing her to stand and speak. Nyma smiles somewhat flirtatiously at the judge then directs her attention to the jury. Keith exchanges an annoyed expression with Pidge before looking back at Nyma when she begins to speak.

Nyma clears her throat and folds her hands together. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this case is not as black and white as the prosecuting attorney has tried to make you believe!” She sighs and gives the jury a solemn expression. “Instead, this case is a misunderstanding between my client, a loving and caring husband, and his wife, a woman who’s the victim of something horrific. Henry Pashy didn’t commit these crimes against his wife and has been falsely accused of said allegations. I plan on proving his innocence through two witnesses. The first witness is Doctor Miguel Rodriguez. He’s Amelia’s and Henry’s doctor who did the check-ups on the both of them and addressed Amelia’s injuries when they came up. You will learn that my client couldn’t have committed these crimes due to injuries of his own. The second witness is Bethany Gabriels. She’s an old work friend of my client’s and will give what she saw at the dinner party during the night in question. She’ll share how she always saw my client and his wife happily interacting with each other whenever they would meet for lunch or at parties.”

She looks back at Henry Pashy, giving him a reassuring smile then turns back to the jury. “The prosecuting attorney isn’t able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Henry Pashy abused and attempted to kill his wife. I will ask you to return a verdict of not guilty once you have heard all the evidence.” Nyma smiles kindly at the jurors and then at the judge.

Pidge fake gags and snickers along with Keith, but quiet down when the judge nods. “Is the prosecution ready to present its case?”

Allura stands. “Yes, Your Honor. I would like to call my first witness, Katherine Holt, to the stand.”

Keith gives Pidge’s hand a squeeze as she approaches the stand. She steps up and looks at the judge, waiting for directions. “Raise your right hand,” the judge orders and Pidge does as told. “Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give is the truth?”

Pidge nods. “I do.” She sits down once the judge nods.

Allura stands and brushes off her skirt. “So, Miss Holt, how did you and your team first come across the text messages?”

Pidge squirms in her seat and pushes her glasses up on her face before turning to the screen next to her. “Missus Pashy gave us access to her phone without argument, but Mister Pashy was more reluctant. He said something about a violation of his rights?” She purses her lips. “He didn’t seem too concerned with the law when he was yelling at Keith-”

Nyma stands up. “Objection! Your honor, the witness is assuming facts not in the evidence.”

“Sustained,” the judge says. “Jury will disregard the last statement.”

“How did you end up obtaining access to the defendant’s cell phone?” Allura asks.

“We received a court ordered warrant for his cell phone and email records,” Pidge answers.

Allura nods. “And, when you looked at his records, what did you find?”

“Objection, ambiguous!” Nyma pipes up.

“Rephrase,” Allura counters. “On the night in question, did you notice anything about the cell phone records that might have revealed the defendant’s intentions to harm his wife?”

Pidge nods and presses a button, revealing an email. “When I went through Mister Pashy’s email, I found this message sent to three of his friends, all of which were at the dinner party. This message doesn’t say specifics, but the part that says  _ ‘this will be all over tonight’ _ didn’t sit well with me. I found several other questionable text messages he sent to the same friends.”

“What did you do with this information when you found it?” Allura asks.

“I immediately went and told Agent Kogane and Doctor McClain about my findings,” Pidge answers.

Allura nods. “Alright, now, how did you get access to the medical records of Missus Pashy?”

Pidge sighs. “Originally, we were supposed to get them from the doctor, but, after many excuses to avoid giving up the records, he refused.”

Allura walks over to the jury and looks at them. “But Missus Pashy  _ did _ give you permission to look at her files, correct?”

“Actually, she asked us to look at them - well, not  _ me _ specifically, but Agent Kogane said-” Pidge starts, but Nyma stands.

“Objection, hearsay!” Nyma exclaims.

“Sustained, jury will disregard last statement,” the judge replies.

“Uh…yes, she gave permission,” Pidge says.

“So, how did you get the records?” Allura wonders.

“Well, Agent Kogane gave me permission to do it so I went into the system to retrieve the medical records. We did what we could to reason with the doctor because Missus Pashy told us we could look at her records, but he continued to refuse.”

Allura nods. “So, you were acting on her behalf?”

“Yes, we saw her injuries and we needed the full doctor’s report,” Pidge replies.

“Alright, how did the doctor react when you continued to ask for Missus Pashy’s records?” Allura wonders.

“He kept saying the same excuse that there was nothing to see because there were barely any previous records, but my team and I weren’t convinced,” Pidge answers. “She walked with a limp, but the initial report that my team was able to give me since they were at the hospital didn’t address the limp as part of the fall down the stairs. It didn’t add up so we wanted past records.”

“Would you describe what you found in the records?” Allura questions.

Nyma rolls her eyes. “Objection, incompetent.”

“Your Honor, I did not ask Miss Holt for her medical evaluation on the records,” Allura counters, turning to the judge.

“Overruled,” the judge says. “Witness will answer the question.”

“Most of it was in doctor-language I don’t exactly understand, but from the X-rays I could see bruising and broken bones that went back for about seven years. That lined up with the amount of time Mister and Missus Pashy have been married.”

Allura nods. “And after you obtained the records, you confronted the doctor, correct?”

Pidge nods “Yes.”

“How did he respond to what information you found out?” Allura asks.

“He claimed to have no knowledge of any of this. We didn’t believe him since he’s been doing the check-ups on her since the marriage,” Pidge answers. “I went further back into the records and her husband had her switch to Doctor Rodriguez. If they had the same doctor it would be cheaper, which was proved by the financial records their bank willingly gave us.”

Allura smiles at Pidge. “Thank you, Miss Holt.” She looks at the judge. “Nothing further.” She walks back to her seat and sits down.

Nyma taps her finger on her table and looks at Pidge with an expression of confusion. “Miss Holt, how old were you when the FBI hired you as their technical analysis?”

“Objection, relevance?” Allura asks.

“Overruled, witness will answer…tread carefully Miss Valentina,” the judge warns.

Pidge huffs in annoyance. “I was nineteen and working through my final year at MIT. I graduated high school early.”

“Right, congratulations by the way,” Nyma replies with a smile. She looks back at the jury. “So, you hacked into the hospital to illegally obtain Missus Pashy’s medical records without the consent of her doctor, who is a medical expert?”

“Missus Pashy told us we could look at them,” Pidge retorts. “Doctor Rodriguez refused to cooperate with us so we did what Missus Pashy wanted.”

“What she wanted?” Nyma chuckles. “She had no say in what could and couldn’t be given. The doctor has possession of these records and is confined to patient confidentiality!” She furrows her eyebrows and turns to the jury. “You violated the privacy of a doctor’s patient, regardless to the patient of consenting. She doesn’t have the power to give you permission to access her medical history. Miss Holt, did you even obtain a warrant for this?”

“I - we…it would’ve been easier if I just did it,” Pidge answers.

Keith bites his tongue and clenches his fists. “That bitch,” he whispers to Lance.

Lance elbows him lightly. “She’s just doing her job…now shush.”

“Easier! Is that your philosophy to everything in life?” Nyma turns and looks at Pidge. “Like it was easier to hack into the FBI database to illegally obtain information on your missing brother?!”

“Objection!” Allura exclaims.

Nyma ignores Allura. “How do we know these records are accurate? They may be here in front of us, thanks to Miss Holt hacking the computers in the hospital like she does with everything-”

“Objection, Your Honor!” Allura tries.

“Rephrase - Miss Holt, is it possible that someone could also have hacked into these same files to make it seem like there have been years of violence on Missus Pashy?” Nyma asks.

“Wha-I-” Pidge stammers. “I-I suppose.”

“You suppose?” Nyma takes a deep breath. “Is it possible you could have changed the records?”

“No! I would never tamper with evidence like that!” Pidge exclaims.

“Oh, like you hid specific evidence from your team’s captain about your brother’s case?” Nyma asks with a raised eyebrow.

Allura frowns. “Objection!”

Nyma smirks. “Withdrawn.” She gives the jury a smile. “No further questions.”

“Katherine Holt, you may step down,” the judge orders.

Pidge frowns and stands, making her way back to Keith, sitting next to him. She huffs and crosses her arms. Keith puts his arm around her and whispers, “Nyma’s a bitch, none of that was your fault.”

“She played me, Keith,” Pidge replies. “I fell into her trap.”

“Prosecution, please call your next witness,” the judge instructs.

Allura stands. “The prosecution calls Doctor Lance McClain to the stand.”

“Doctor McClain, please come forward and be sworn,” the judge says.

Lance stands up, giving Pidge and Keith a hopeful smile before walking up to the stand. “Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will tell the truth?”

“I do,” Lance says then he sits down as Allura approaches him.

“Doctor McClain, please tell the jury what you do for the team,” Allura instructs.

“I work as the psychological profiler for the FBI. I use details of a crime, including evidence and witness testimony, to determine a behavior pattern as well as to develop a psychological portrait, or profile, of the suspect. This allows my team to focus their search on suspects who fit said description,” Lance explains.

Allura nods. “Did you create a profile on Mister Pashy?”

“Yes,” Lance answers. “He was easy to figure out. On the surface, Mister Pashy doesn’t look threatening. He has a trusting smile, a good job, and everyone in the neighborhood adores him. Digging deeper into his past, I discovered he had issues with other students in his class and sometimes went far enough to starting fights. Usually it happened when one of them got something he wanted. This is childish behavior and I made a big note of that in my profile. The first time my partner, Agent Keith Kogane, and I talked with Mister Pashy, he acted open and more charismatic with me, but somewhat hostile with my partner.”

Allura turns to the jury. “Why was he more willing to cooperate with you, but not so much with Keith?”

Lance chuckles. “Mister Pashy viewed my partner as a threat. Both have assertive and defensive personalities and will fight for their beliefs.”

Nyma stands. “Objection, Your Honor. The jury doesn’t need to know about Doctor McClain’s profile on his partner.”

“Sustained, Doctor McClain, please stay on topic,” the judge orders.

“Sorry, Your Honor,” Lance says with a smirk.

“Let us move onto Missus Pashy. When you interviewed her in the hospital with your partner, what were your initial thoughts on her?” Allura asks.

“Unlike her husband, Missus Pashy cooperated fully with us. She appeared relieved that we were there,” Lance explains, “but when her husband arrived, she wasn’t able to cooperate as much as before. She was scared of him and he barely let her speak.”

“I bet. Anyone who shares the same assertive and defensive personality as Agent Kogane is not someone to reckon with…unless you are Agent Kogane,” Allura says with a smile. “Anyway, tell me your thoughts on the obtained medical records.”

“Of course.” Lance nods. “Dating back seven years, Missus Pashy suffered many injuries. Most of which were located on her arms and face, but more severe ones are on her thighs and knees. One attack about two years ago caused her to have a permanent limp in her left leg.”

“Did the doctor confirm any of this when you confronted him?” Allura wonders.

“Nope, he denied knowing all of it,” Lance replies, sitting back in the chair.

Allura nods. “How did he react when he found out you got a hold of the records?”

Lance chuckles. “He was not happy and almost got into an altercation with my partner, but no punches were thrown since he eventually came clean about knowing of the injuries. He claimed he didn’t know where they came from. That didn’t make any sense to us, but that’s none of my concern about Mister Pashy’s use of an incompetent doctor to spare a couple pennies.”

Nyma stands. “Objection!”

“Sustained. Doctor McClain, please do not use terms like incompetent when referring to the defendant’s doctor,” the judge instructs. “Jury will disregard the last statement.”

“Doctor McClain, tell me about the crime scene. When you first arrived, did you find anything strange about the ordeal?” Allura asks.

“Well, I couldn’t get a good look at the scene because Mister Pashy wouldn’t let me get close to the staircase,” Lance answers.

Allura turns to the jury. “Why do you think that is?”

“Objection, calls for a conclusion,” Nyma says.

“Sustained,” the judge agrees.

“Withdrawn.” Allura looks back at Lance. “In his initial report, Mister Pashy said his wife was very intoxicated during the party and had fallen down the stairs, but when you interviewed her at the hospital she did not seem out of it, correct?”

Lance nods. “Yes. She was completely aware of her surroundings and answered our questions without her words slurring. If she was out of it in any way, it would be because of the concussion she sustained when her head hit the stairs.”

“According to one of the eyewitnesses at the party, they said they heard the defendant screaming and seconds later saw the defendant push Missus Pashy against the wall by the staircase. What else did the witness say in their report?” Allura asks.

“When I talked to the witness, they said exactly what you said and followed up with hearing a higher pitched scream, Missus Pashy falling down the stairs, and then saw Missus Pashy lying on the ground,” Lance replies.

Allura nods. “Thank you, Doctor McClain. Nothing further.” She goes and sits down.

Nyma stands up and runs her finger through her hair as she walks over to Lance. “It’s Lance, isn’t it?” She bites her lip and leans up against the witness’s stand.

Lance quirks an eyebrow and nods. “Correct.”

“Is it alright by you if I call you Lance?” she asks innocently.

Keith scoffs and rolls his eyes then crosses his arms. “What a bitch.”

“Of course,” Lance replies with a smirk.

“Okay, well, Lance…” She draws out his name as she slowly walks in front of him over to the jury. “You are a profiler, right? Is it possible that, due to what horrific accident my client witnessed…he could’ve just been behaving in a cold and defensive way because he witnessed his wife take a dangerous fall down a flight of hardwood stairs?”

Lance sighs. “Well, I always take all sides into consideration when I build my profiles. Initially I was under the assumption he acted defensive because we were accusing him of assaulting his wife, but, when we went deeper into their past, the defendant never acted like this when she had more serious injuries like the broken leg that gave her a permanent limp she has to this day. It didn’t add up.”

“Did my client witness Missus Pashy break her leg?” Nyma asks.

“Objection, calls for speculation!” Allura announces.

“Sustained,” the judge replies.

“Withdrawn,” Nyma says with a smile. “Lance, I’m looking over your partner’s notes right here and it says the eyewitness said they physically saw my client push his wife down the stairs. Is this true?”

“I can’t answer that,” Lance replies. “I’m not the one who conducted that interview.”

“Would it be possible, Lance, that the eyewitness could have seen my client trying to help his wife stay standing since she was intoxicated?” Nyma asks, slowly approaching the witness stand once again.

“I-I didn’t interview the witness. My partner-”

“You consulted with your partner, didn’t you? You trust his word? Would he alter a witness’s statement to fit what he wanted to hear?” Nyma asks with a confused tone.

“No, of course not,” Lance replies, frowning. “My partner doesn’t operate like that.”

“I’m sorry for offending you.” She places a hand on the witness stand. “I’m asking you that question because you’re a profiler. Is it possible the witness saw one thing, but said another because he’s trying to help his friend, Missus Pashy?”

Lance closes his eyes and bows his head. “Yes, it’s possible…” He lifts his head up after another couple seconds and looks Nyma in the eye.

“Thank you, Lance, I’m sorry to keep you up here for so long. No further questions.” Nyma smiles at the jury again, earning herself a few smiles in return before she sits back down.

“Doctor Lance McClain, you may step down,” the judge orders.

Lance sighs and walks back to his spot next to Keith. “Damn, Nyma’s good.”

“Allura’s better,” Pidge replies. “Your testimony during Allura’s questioning was way more efficient than the one with Nyma.”

Keith nods in agreement. “She’s right.”

“Prosecution, please call your next witness,” the judge instructs.

Allura stands. “The prosecution calls Special Agent Keith Kogane to the stand.”

“Agent Kogane, please come forward and be sworn,” the judge says.

Keith takes a deep breath and stands up, giving Pidge’s shoulder a squeeze before walking up to the stand. “Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will tell the truth?”

“I do,” Keith says then he sits down as Allura approaches him.

“Agent, when you first arrived at the scene, how did the defendant react to you questioning him?” Allura asks.

“The defendant refused to give us straight answers to my simple questions,” Keith replies. “He tiptoed around the topic and acted hostile when I would ask them in a stricter tone. He accused me of being inconsiderate and insensitive when I asked him how she fell.”

“How did he answer that question?” Allura wonders, turning to the jury.

Keith looks at the jury as well. “He told me he loved his wife and was devastated this happened to her.”

Allura looks back at Keith. “So, not a yes or a no?”

Keith nods. “That’s correct. I wanted to arrest him right then and there, but I didn’t because I had to interview the other people at the party.”

“Tell the jury what happened when you finally did bring the defendant in for questioning,” Allura instructs, stepping aside so the entire jury can look at Keith.

“He started off refusing to speak to us so I immediately went into Missus Pashy’s medical records, making sure to describe in great detail of the wounds she suffered over the past seven years they had been married to each other,” Keith explains. “Once I got to the broken leg, he stood up and said I had no right to look at those since they were confidential. I exchanged some other words with him until he started getting hostile, demanding a lawyer and accusing me of harassment. At that point I left the interrogation room to discuss things with my partner.”

Allura nods. “And what did you talk about with him?”

“We discussed that a man with that temper does have the means and mental instability to push his wife down the stairs,” Keith answers.

“Alright and after realizing that the defendant had the power to commit this crime, what was the next step?” Allura asks.

“Well, stuff like this usually builds up over time. Someone doesn’t just snap and commit something like this, so we decided to dig deeper into Missus Pashy’s medical history,” Keith replies. “The doctor refused to give up her records despite Misses Pashy’s agreeing to it.”

“After your technical analyst obtained the records, I understand that the injuries went back seven years, but the doctor failed to mention this to you when you originally asked for the records, correct?” Allura wonders.

Keith nods. “Yes, that’s right.”

Allura walks so Keith is in view of the jury. “Tell the jury how you proceeded after this finding.”

“We brought Doctor Rodriguez in for questioning and he continued to deny everything. I asked him how he couldn’t have seen all these injuries despite being her doctor, but he claimed the nurses didn’t inform him,” Keith explains. “My next question was if he was covering for the defendant, but Doctor Rodriguez didn’t appreciate that question very much.”

“So, he refused to cooperate?” Allura asks. “Interesting. How did the interview end?”

“He finally cooperated a bit when I told him he’d be arrested for impeding an investigation, but said he wasn’t at liberty to say anything because there was nothing to tell, and that he didn’t know how all of Missus Pashy’s injuries occurred. I still didn’t think he was telling the whole truth, but that was enough to know he wasn’t the one behind this,” Keith replies.

“Thank you, Agent Kogane, nothing further,” Allura says as she walks back to her seat.

Nyma stands up and smiles at Keith. “Hello Agent Kogane,” she greets. “I won’t keep you up here too long. So, you claimed you were suspicious about my client when you first saw him at the scene, correct?”

“Yes,” Keith replies curtly.

Nyma chuckles slightly. “Why was that? Did you think he was immediately guilty?”

“In a way, yes. He wasn’t the one who made the nine one one call,” Keith says.

“How could he have made that call if he didn’t have his cell phone on him? He was nowhere near a phone when Missus Pashy took that nasty fall down the stairs,” Nyma says, turning to the jury. “Didn’t your shrink - I mean partner, Doctor Lance McClain, tell you not to jump to conclusions?”

“Objection!” Allura exclaims.

“Your Honor, it’s a simple question of whether or not he was too quick to convict my client of being guilty without all the facts,” Nyma replies.

“I’ll allow it,” the judge decides.

Keith sighs. “Yes, but that’s his job to-”

“Is it true you have a checkered past of assuming things too quickly and jumping head first into things without thinking things through?” Nyma looks around at each of the jury members. “You did go behind your captain’s back and almost got blown up.”

“Objection, relevance?” Allura asks.

“You Honor, I assure you I have a point to this,” Nyma claims.

The judge narrows his eyes. “Overruled, but tread carefully Miss Valentina.”

“Thank you,” Nyma says, turning back to Keith. “Did you immediately see an abusive and cruel man when you talked to my client or did you see a man who was still in shock about seeing his wife fall down a flight of stairs?”

“He pushed her down the stairs,” Keith says, glaring at Nyma. “He was the only one up there when it happened!”

Nyma quirks an eyebrow. “You were there? You saw him do it?”

“Well, no, but-” Keith starts.

“You have a history of anger management issues so is it possible you just used him as a scapegoat for your own insecurities and issues?” Nyma wonders.

“Objection!”

“Withdrawn,” Nyma replies. “You hate my client for everything he’s supposedly done to his wife over these seven years, yet Missus Pashy never filed any complaint?”

“She’s scared of him! And he has the doctor in on it!” Keith exclaims.

“Your Honor,” Nyma says dully, turning to the judge.

“Jury will disregard the last statement,” he replies.

“Could one conclude that you have a strong hatred for my client?” Nyma asks.

“Yeah because he pushed his wife down a flight of stairs!” Keith exclaims.

“Really? Or could it be because he wasn’t doing what you wanted him to do when you arrested him? You did almost assault my client in the interrogation room. Your partner slash counselor had to hold you back,” Nyma shares. “Could your blind hatred be keeping you from looking for any other suspects?”

“There are no other suspects!” Keith exclaims. “No one else had the means or motive! I didn’t need to look at anyone else!”

“You didn’t need to? Or was it that you didn’t want to?” Nyma asks, leaning closer to Keith. “You hate this man. He needs to be punished, doesn’t he?”

Keith opens his mouth to retort, beyond done with Nyma’s bullshit, but Allura stands up. “Objection!”

“Withdrawn, nothing further,” Nyma says with a smirk returning to her seat.

“Agent Kogane, you may step down,” the judge instructs.

Keith stands, fuming as he makes his way back over to Lance and Pidge. He puts his face in his hand and sighs. “Dammit, she played me.”

Lance pats his back. “Nyma’s good at her job, but Allura presents facts better than her.”

Pidge nods in agreement. “Nyma puts on a show, but Allura brings the heat.”

Keith shakes his head. “That jury did not like me. They think I’m some hot head who hates everyone.”

“Prosecution, please call your next witness,” the judge says.

Allura stands. “The prosecution calls Mister Samuel Donnelly to the stand.”

“Keith, don’t worry about that,” Lance replies. “You gave a good testimony under Allura’s questions.”

Keith opens his mouth to reply, but the judge speaks before he can. “Mister Donnelly, please come forward and be sworn.”

Keith watches as a tall man with short brown hair and black rimmed glasses slowly approaches the stand. He fixes his blue tie before sitting down. “Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will tell the truth?” the judge asks.

“I do,” Samuel says then he sits down as Allura approaches him.

“Mister Donnelly, please tell the jury your relation to Missus Pashy,” Allura says.

He turns to the jury and clears his throat. “I’ve been one of Amelia’s closest friends since college. We had many of our gen-ed classes together and some of our required major classes lined up as well.”

Allura nods. “Now, at the night of the attack, how did Amelia seem to you at the start of the party?”

“She seemed to be having a good time chatting with myself and some of our other friends,” Samuel replies.

“And where was the defendant during this?” Allura wonders.

Samuel shrugs. “Honestly, I’m not too sure. He greeted us when we walked in, but after that I can’t place him.”

“Let us go later into the night,” Allura says, walking towards the jury. “What time did Amelia head upstairs?”

“Around nine thirty she went upstairs to use the restroom,” Samuel answers. “I waited for her at the base of the stairs for when she came down.”

“Did anyone follow her?”

Samuel nods. “Yes, Henry Pashy went up there almost immediately after. He had a cocktail drink in his hand. He looked furious.”

“Tell the jury what you heard and saw afterwards,” Allura instructs.

“A few minutes after Henry walked upstairs, I heard glass shatter on the ground - probably the cocktail he was holding - and yelling afterwards,” Samuel explains. “Then I saw Amelia walk down the hallway to the stairs and Henry followed immediately after, no longer holding his cocktail. They continued arguing with each other, but Amelia used a hushed voice while Henry continued to yell. He grabbed her arm and a few seconds later Amelia went tumbling down the stairs.”

“Did you ever look anywhere else throughout this whole event?” Allura asks.

“I watched up until he grabbed her arm, but someone called my name, catching my attention so I looked away for a brief moment. My attention returned to Amelia and Henry when I heard something falling down the stairs to which I saw Amelia rolling down and hit the ground,” Samuel shares.

“Think back, did Amelia look like she was going to walk down the stairs so that’s why the defendant grabbed her arm?” Allura asks.

Samuel nods. “Yes, Amelia did turn away from Henry as if to walk down the stairs, but he pulled her back.”

Allura turns to the jury. “So, Amelia was simply trying to walk back down the stairs to rejoin the party, but the defendant had seen another opportunity to injure her like he has been based on all the medical records from the hospital?”

“Objection,” Nyma says.

“Withdrawn, nothing further,” Allura finishes and smiles at the jury before returning to her seat.

Nyma stands. “Mister Donnelly, did you have any sexual history with Amelia Pashy?”

Allura stands. “Objection! Relevance?!”

“Your Honor, the witness could be jealous and bias against my client due to romantic jealousies,” Nyma replies.

The judge nods. “Overruled.”

Samuel sighs. “No, I do not have a sexual history with Amelia.”

“Tell me, in college, did you ever ask Amelia out?” Nyma asks.

“Yes, but-” Samuel starts.

Nyma nods. “Right and did you try to seduce her at the dinner party?”

“Objection!” Allura exclaims.

“Sustained - move it along Miss Valentina,” the judge orders.

“Yes, my apologies,” Nyma says. “Anyway, the night of the incident. You claimed to have seen my client struggling with his wife, correct?”

Samuel nods. “Yes, correct.”

“How many drinks did you have that night?” Nyma wonders.

“I-um a few? I don’t know!” Samuel exclaims.

“So, you were so drunk that you don’t remember exactly what happened? Is it possible that my client was simply trying to help his wife stay standing?” Nyma questions.

“Amelia didn’t have any drinks,” Samuel retorts. “So, the only way that could be true is if he pushed her first!” He crosses his arms and leans back in the chair.

Nyma bites her lip to hold back a smile. “Nothing further.”

“Alright, prosecution, I believe that was your last witness-” the judge starts.

“Wait! Your Honor, may I approach?” Allura asks.

Nyma stands up and looks between Allura and the judge before approaching with her. “What is it Miss Quinn?” the judge asks.

“Amelia Pashy wishes to approach the stand,” Allura says. “She only just agreed to right now.”

The judge turns to Nyma. “Is the defense okay with this?” he asks.

“If Amelia Pashy approaches the stand then my client will definitely want to,” Nyma says.

The judge nods. “I’ll allow both witnesses. Are you both prepared to do cross examinations?”

Nyma smirks. “I’ll be just fine.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Allura replies. She turns and walks back to her table. “The prosecution calls Missus Amelia Pashy to the stand.”

“Missus Pashy, please come forward and be sworn,” the judge orders.

Keith sits up straighter to watch Amelia walk up to the stand. She has a prominent limp in her left leg and Keith winces when she stumbles stepping up to the stand. Her left arm is in a sling and she has a knee brace on her right knee. Her long brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

“Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will tell the truth?” the judge asks.

“I do,” Amelia replies before sitting down.

Allura approaches her and gives her a kind smile. “Thank you for testifying today, Missus Pashy. I promise I will not keep you up here too long. Now, what can you remember from the day in question before going into the med center for bruises, a dislocated shoulder, a dislocated knee, and three broken ribs? Start from before the party.”

“The party was at seven and I was finishing up the final preparations of the main dish,” Amelia shares. “Henry walked in and started to yell at me, saying I was supposed to make lamb, not pork. He slapped me across the cheek, but it was too late to switch meals. The doorbell rang so he told me that he would deal with this later.”

“And you remember this clearly?” Allura asks.

Amelia nods. “Usually Henry’s threats were empty and he gave me all the pain he wanted to for that moment, but this time felt different. He had been in contact with some friends lately and I felt paranoid he was planning something against me.”

Allura nods. “Now, during the party. Why did you walk up the stairs in the middle of it if you were the hostess?”

Amelia chuckles. “Henry actually asked me the same question when I went up those stairs, but he wasn’t as kind as you’re being right now. He had one too many drinks, but that didn’t stop him from following me up there.”

“Tell the jury what you two discussed before the incident,” Allura instructs.

“Most of it was the usual arguments we had during parties, but he kept looking down the stairs at where Samuel was standing.” Amelia closes her eyes and winces. “Then he started yelling out of nowhere and I decided to remove myself from that situation so I turned towards the staircase to walk down, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back.”

“Did he pull you back to tell you something?”

Amelia nods. “He said he was done with my shit then called me a whore because I had been talking with Samuel all evening. He released my arm, shoving me in the direction of the stairs, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”

“So, the defendant pushed you down the stairs? You are certain this was no accident?” Allura asks.

“I’m a hundred percent certain!” Amelia exclaims.

“How do you know this?” Allura wonders.

“Because this isn’t the first time! Several times he’s tried to push me down the stairs, but all the times before I’ve been able to prevent it from happening!” Amelia exclaims. She turns and looks at Henry with her eyes brimming with tears. “That man right there, the one who I thought loved me, tried to kill me!”

Allura places her hand on the witness stand. “Thank you, Amelia. Nothing further.” She gives Amelia a smile before returning to her seat.

Nyma stands up and crosses her arms as she approaches Amelia. “So, Amelia, these are some heavy accusations against my client here. You claim all of this so-called  _ abuse _ has been going on for seven years? Why have you only brought it up now? Why not when it first happened - if it even did happen?”

Amelia wipes a tear off her cheek. “Henry is a well-respected man, no one would believe me even if I did go to the police.”

Nyma tilts her head in confusion and chuckles. “I’m just having trouble understanding this. Seven years is a long time to be in a relationship that you’re describing. Have you only brought it up now because you’re bored? Is it because your life has been completely boring and eventless the last seven years, so you go and make up these false medical reports of injury to not be bored anymore?”

“Fake?! How are these injuries you’re looking at fake?! My husband pushed me down those stairs!” Amelia exclaims.

“So, you say,” Nyma counters. “Maybe that’s just what your subconscious wants you to think. Look at all of this publicity you’re getting…interviews…national TV.” Nyma paces back and forth in front of the jury. “Countless people praising you for being brave enough to endure through all this torment for so long…yet, none of it actually happened. Are you happy now? You’ve destroyed your loving husband’s reputation just so you could get a little fun out of life. So…tell me…was it all worth it?” Nyma turns to Amelia. “Did you get what you want? Fun?”

Amelia glares at Nyma as a couple more tears fall down her cheeks. “I’ll be happy when he’s rotting in prison for what he’s done.”

Nyma raises an eyebrow. “An innocent man being put away makes you happy?”

“Objection!” Allura exclaims.

“Withdrawn,” Nyma replies, smirking at Amelia. “Nothing further.” She goes and sits down next to Henry.

“Amelia Pashy, you may step down,” the judge says before Amelia gets up.

“Your Honor, the prosecution rests,” Allura says from her table.

“Defense, do you wish to call your first witness?” the judge asks.

“Yes, Your Honor, the defense would like to call Alexandria Gillins to the stand,” Nyma says.

The judge nods. “Would Miss Alexandria Gillins come forward and be sworn?”

Keith sees a woman with long black hair and dark skin stand up and saunter up to the witness stand. He scrunches his nose in disgust when he notices her wearing a skirt that is definitely way too short for her. “Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will tell the truth?” the judge asks.

“I do,” Alexandria replies before sitting down.

Nyma stands and approaches Alexandria. “Is it alright if I call you Alexandria?”

“Lexi is fine actually,” she replies.

“Okay, so, Lexi, tell the jury how you know the defendant,” Nyma instructs.

“I’m a close coworker with Henry,” Alexandria explains. “We’ve been working together for nine years.”

Nyma nods. “Thank you. Now, during the night in question, you were at the Pashy residence, correct? What were you doing with the defendant before Amelia Pashy went up the stairs.”

“Well, I was chatting with Henry and a couple other of our coworkers. Henry was apologizing to us for the meal that Amelia messed up on. He told us we were having lamb, but Amelia served us pork,” Alexandria explains. “She must’ve overheard us because she turned away and started heading up the stairs. Henry followed after her to make sure she was okay.”

“Like any good husband would do, correct?” Nyma wonders.

“Of course! Henry is a loving husband and such a good friend,” Alexandria says.

“From the notes I have here, it says you were within earshot of the staircase. What were you hearing from Amelia and Henry?” Nyma asks.

“Well, I heard hushed whispers - more like mumbling from Amelia - but it turned into yelling. I was concerned and suddenly felt I shouldn’t be eavesdropping on this conversation,” Alexandria explains. “I saw Amelia’s friend lingering by the staircase so I called out to him to tell him to move away from their private conversation, but my phone buzzed and I looked away.”

“Mumbling from Amelia? Like she was drunk?” Nyma asks, turning to the jury.

Alexandria nods. “Yeah! Exactly like that.”

“Interesting, after you checked your phone, what did you see next?” Nyma turns back to Alexandria.

“I heard someone fall down the stairs and looked up to see Amelia on the ground,” Alexandria replies.

“What were your initial thoughts on the…horrific tragedy that just occurred?” Nyma wonders.

“I heard Henry shout and Amelia tumbled down the stairs! I was shocked and upset! I went to make the nine one one call, but Amelia’s friend beat me to it,” Alexandria replies.

Nyma nods. “Did Henry push her down the stairs?”

“I only saw him grab her arm, but she looked like she was stumbling to fall down the stairs. My phone buzzed and I looked away after that,” Alexandria explains.

“So, Henry, the defendant, was simply trying to save his wife from falling down the stairs. Thank you, Lexi, nothing further.” Nyma heads back to her seat.

Allura stands up slowly and approaches Alexandria. “I do not have here in Agent Kogane’s notes you ever saying you heard mumbling coming from the top of the stairs. In fact, you barely gave any statement. Why is this?”

“I felt threatened by him,” Alexandria replies, crossing her arms. “He was very rude to Henry.”

“Threatened by an FBI Agent? You lied to him - why change your story now?” Allura wonders.

“I just didn’t remember at the time,” Alexandria replies. “I heard deep mumbling from the stairs and-” She stops talking suddenly.

“Deep mumbling? Amelia’s voice is too high pitched to speak that low,” Allura says. “Mister Pashy had a drink in his hand and had high levels of alcohol in his bloodstream.”

“So did Amelia! She fell down those stairs!” Alexandria exclaims.

“Then how do you explain the report from her visit to the med center showing that she was not intoxicated?’ Allura wonders.

“I - what?” Alexandria asks. “I - she was! I saw what I saw!”

Allura smiles. “Nothing further.” She returns to her seat.

Alexandria huffs angrily and storms back to her seat. Keith and Lance fist bump each other when they see Nyma whispering with Henry. Allura has got this in the bag.

“The defense would like to call Doctor Miguel Rodriguez to the stand,” Nyma says.

The judge nods. “Would Doctor Miguel Rodriguez come forward and be sworn?”

A man with slicked back brown hair and a brown mustache slowly approaches the stand and sits down. Keith clenches his fists when he sees Miguel, remembering all the bullshit he tried telling Keith and Lance when they tried getting the medical records. This bastard better be fired from his job after this.

“Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that you will tell the truth?” the judge asks.

“I do,” Miguel replies before sitting down.

Nyma stands and approaches Miguel. “Good afternoon, doctor. I won’t take up too much of your time. How long have you known my client?”

“Twelve years,” Miguel answers in a thick Spanish accent. “We were high school best friends and college roommates until I went off to medical school.”

Nyma nods. “Why did Amelia Pashy switch over to you to become her doctor?”

“Henry’s job provided the health insurance and he was already my patient so it was easier for them both to be under my care,” Miguel answers. “I wanted to do my good friend a favor and both of them seemed grateful about it.”

“How generous of you! Now, were you at the party?” Nyma asks.

“No, I had to work late that day, but I was invited,” Miguel replies.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t attend, but it was lucky you were working that night so you could address Amelia’s injuries.” Nyma turns to the jury. “When Amelia came in after the incident, was there any alcohol in her system?”

“I did not run that test on her because I had other injuries to address, but judging by the way she acted while answering questions, my initial thought was yes,” Miguel replies.

“You didn’t run the test because you had more serious injuries to address, correct?” Nyma asks.

“Yes, of course. Three broken ribs took priority,” Miguel says.

“Now, why wouldn’t you give the agents Amelia’s medical records when they asked?” Nyma wonders.

“I wasn’t at liberty to give out that information willy nilly due to patient confidentiality,” Miguel shares. “Even though Amelia gave consent, she doesn’t have any jurisdiction to give it away.”

“Did they have a warrant?”

Miguel shakes his head no. “they hacked into my system and took it without my knowledge.”

“Were the agents hostile? Did they accuse of hiding this information?” Nyma asks.

“Agent Kogane said some very unprofessional things that I won’t repeat, but they did accuse me of covering up for Henry just because we’ve known each other for so long. I would never do that to a patient of mine. If I had known that any of this was happening because of Henry, I would’ve reported it, but it wasn’t! Henry did not do any of this,” Miguel replies.

“Thank you, doctor. Nothing further.” Nyma heads back to her seat.

Allura stands up with her arms crossed. “Doctor Rodriguez, I would like to remind you that you are under oath. You claim to not know anything about her injuries over the past seven years, yet nearly all of them had surface level bruising. How do you explain this?”

“The nurses must not have told me the extent of the past injuries,” Miguel replies simply.

“The nurses did not tell you? How could you not know about your own patient’s serious injuries? Are you that bad at your job?” Allura demands.

“Objection!” Nyma exclaims.

“Rephrase.” Allura pulls out a file from her table and flips through it. “I have Agent Kogane’s and Doctor McClain’s notes on their interviews of the nurses who worked on Missus Pashy with you. All of them share one constant fact: you told them to say nothing to any police officer if any should ask questions about Missus Pashy’s injuries.” Allura looks back at Miguel. “Explain this please.”

“I have no memory of this,” Miguel replies curtly, but Keith can tell he’s getting nervous.

“They sung like canaries when they realized they would be charged with impeding an investigation. So, tell me again, how do you explain these injuries? Or are you sticking to your previous statement of  _ not knowing _ ?” Allura asks.

“I-” Miguel swallows and rubs his forehead. “I-I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t believe it so I ignored it!”

Henry suddenly stands up angrily and points his finger at Miguel. “You bastard!”

“Order! Miss Valentina, please control your client,” the judge instructs.

“My apologies, Your Honor.” Nyma grabs Henry’s arm and pulls him back down, whispering in his ear. Keith and Pidge exchange a smirk with each other.

Allura smirks. “So, you were just covering for an old friend, huh? A woman has suffered for seven years and you did nothing about it! How does that make you feel?!”

“Objection!” Nyma exclaims.

“Withdrawn,” Allura replies. “Nothing further.” She turns and heads back to her desk.

“Doctor Miguel Rodriguez, you may step down,” the judge says before Miguel gets up angrily and heads back to his seat.

“The defense rests,” Nyma states with a curt nod.

“Alright, you may proceed with closing arguments,” the judge states. He nods at Allura.

Allura stands up and takes a deep breath. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank you for your service today. This woman, Amelia Pashy, has gone through so much pain and suffering for seven years without help from anyone - not even friends, family, or the very doctor she sees for treatment. You all heard it yourselves! He covered up everything to save a friend, the defendant, who had been abusing his wife ever since they got married. Miguel was reluctant to report these medical records to the authorities because they have been friends since high school. He did not want to see his friend get in trouble so he chose to keep his mouth shut instead of doing the right thing and helping out his patient. 

“Amelia Pashy dealt with this pain for seven years because she is afraid of her husband. No one should ever be afraid of the person they married. Henry Pashy simply brushed aside Amelia because he does not love her anymore. He only sees her as something he can beat up and push around with no consequences.” She looks around at the jury. “Eyewitnesses may not have physically seen everything, but evidence supports that Amelia Pashy was not intoxicated during the time that this so-called  _ accident _ occurred. Amelia knew these records existed and was fully willing to give them up to us despite her knowing that her doctor was her husband’s good friend. When Miguel refused to cooperate and claimed there was nothing to see, that sent up red flags. The only way to see the whole picture was to get outside help. If you were stuck in a marriage like this where even your own doctor refused to help, what would you do?” Allura nods at the judge then takes her seat.

Nyma stands and clears her throat. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury for your service.” She sighs dramatically and looks down. “Yes, there may be evidence that my client’s wife wasn’t intoxicated, however, that doesn’t immediately conclude that my client was responsible for her falling down the stairs. She may very well have been angry at her husband about something and shoved herself away, causing herself to fall down the stairs.” She looks around at the jury. “Amelia claims to have been abused for seven years, but, based on unlawfully obtained medical records that may very well have been tampered with, this could all be an over exaggeration of a simple accident and years of self-infliction of pain.” She furrows her eyebrows in concern. “This man is innocent. Do you want to be responsible for putting an innocent man away based on insufficient and unrighteous evidence? It’s all up to you…thank you.” She smiles then heads back to her table

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is your job to decide whether or not Henry Pashy is guilty of domestic assault and attempted murder in the first degree. If found guilty, Henry will be sentenced to prison and fined. We shall await your decision.” The judge hits his gavel on the desk and dismisses the jury to the jury room.

* * *

 

 

_ One hour later _

* * *

 

 

Everyone gathers back into the courtroom as the jury takes their seats again. The judge hits his gavel, signaling everyone to be quiet. He turns to the jury. “Has the jury reached a verdict?”

Keith looks up when he sees the lead juror stand up with a piece of paper in her hand. “We have, Your Honor. Under the charges of domestic violence, we, the Jury, find the defendant, Henry Pashy, guilty. Under the charges of attempted murder in the first degree, we, the Jury, find the defendant, Henry Pashy, guilty.”

Allura stands up straight and smiles smugly, turning to Nyma who frowns and crosses her arms in annoyance. Keith turns to Lance and smiles widely before hugging him tightly. Pidge claps from next to Keith and the judge hits his gavel again to settle everyone down. “Order!” he exclaims. “In the case of Amelia Pashy versus Henry Pashy, the ruling is guilty for both charges. Henry Pashy will pay a fine of five thousand dollars to Amelia Pashy and spend ten years in prison. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the city of Washington D.C. thanks you for your service. Court dismissed.” He hits his gavel one final time and everyone leaves the courtroom.

* * *

 

 

_ Four days later _

* * *

Keith pulls up to the crime scene on his motorcycle, revving the engine to startle Lance as he exits his car. Lance turns to glare at Keith then walks over to him. “Is this necessary?” he wonders. “And to think I stopped to get you coffee on my way here.” Lance scoffs and shakes his head at the second cup he has in his hands.

Keith removes his helmet and smirks at Lance, taking the coffee out of his hand. “You know it’s always necessary. Besides, I can’t just leave Ruby Red at home.” He locks his helmet to his bike then crosses his arms.

“Keith, that sounds like a stripper name,” Lance says with an unamused expression. “Do you have a side job as a male stripper or something? How many motorcycles do you have at home?”

Keith simply takes a sip of his coffee and winks at Lance, leading him over to where the local cops are standing by waiting for them. He flashes his badge. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is my partner Doctor Lance McClain.”

One of the cops shakes Keith’s hand. “Officer Dewey Webb and this is Officer Glenn Houston.” Dewey turns to Glenn. “Go on, tell them what you saw.”

“Aliens, Agent Kogane, they’re aliens!” Glenn exclaims, clearly shaken. “And that  _ thing _ they’re in is the spaceship!”

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Really? Well-”

“Um, thank you, officers. We’ll take a look now.” Lance smiles at them and guides Keith over to where they find Shay kneeling in front of a large, copper beer vat. Inside Keith sees two decomposed skeletons side-by-side, arms around each other. “Oh, I mean they kinda do look like aliens and the beer vat  _ does _ look like a spaceship, but-”

“Ah ha!” Keith smiles widely while Lance crosses his arms. “The round skulls, the pointed chins, large eye sockets - they are aliens! Lance, do you know what this means?!”

Lance sighs. “Keith-”

“Boys, I assure you these two so-called  _ aliens _ are adolescent males,” Shay shares from beside the beer vat. She turns to Lance and Keith with a raised eyebrow.

“Male alien adolescents?!” Keith asks with an even wider smile while Lance facepalms.

“No! Of course not!” Shay exclaims. “Goodness…anyway, they’ve been down here for about five years, but I’ll get a better idea once I take the bodies back to the lab.” She shakes her head. “Sorry, I’m better with recently decomposed bodies. Coran is better with bones since he’s been doing this longer than me.”

Keith shakes his head. “It’s okay, Shay. We called you here for a reason. You look at the bigger picture better than anyone I know, alright? I need your people to send this info to Pidge so she can work on getting an ID on the victims. She made this new tech that she wants to try out that helps with facial recognition and probably can get results from dental records.”

Shay nods. “Alright, I’ll have the pictures sent to her right away. Do you still want me to confirm DNA at the lab?”

“Yes, thank you, Shay.” Lance says. He looks back at Keith. “Meet you at the station?” He takes Keith’s empty coffee cup from him.

“Thanks, Lance,” Keith says with a nod. He walks back over to his motorcycle and unlocks the helmet, putting it on before driving down the road towards the station. Keith stops at a red light and slouches back in his seat, waiting until the caffeine from the coffee kicks in. He looks over when a car pulls up next to him. Sitting in the back seat is a little boy and a little girl next to him looking at Keith’s motorcycle. Keith chuckles to himself and waves at them, causing them to giggle and wave back. When the light turns green, Keith revs the engine for the kids then takes off down the road, hearing the kids squeal in delight.

Once Keith arrives at the station, he parks in his usual spot close to the entrance to the station then locks his helmet to his bike before walking inside. He heads over to the elevator, waving at a couple other agents then presses the third-floor button on the elevator. A couple seconds later the doors open and he spots Pidge talking with Lance at Keith’s desk. He walks over to them and plops down in his chair. “Did you find something Pidge?” Keith asks.

“Oh, hey Keith! How are you today? Doing well? That’s great - I’m doing fine myself! Thanks for asking!” Pidge exclaims sarcastically. She gives him an irritated expression before turning back to her computer. “Yes, I did find something. I got the IDs of the two victims from my new tech and Coran confirmed it - not to mention they lined up with two twin boys named Connor and Jack Pierce who went missing five years ago, but they were never found.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows. “I recognize their names from when I did some reading on old cases. Who were the agents on the case?”

“Um…” Pidge types a couple things then nods. “Assistant US Attorney Tanya Beck and ex-FBI Agent Edwin Frazier.”

“Okay, I want them brought in for-” Lance starts, but stops when he sees two people walk into the room, being led into the meeting room by Shiro. One of them is an older gentleman with greying hair and a nice black suit while the other is a young woman with dark skin and dark hair. He motions for Keith and Lance to join him. Lance looks back at Pidge with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry boys, you two took too long getting back from the crime scene so I had Shiro do it,” Pidge replies with a smug expression.

“Pidge,” Keith warns.

“Fine! He was with me when I got the IDs of the kids and the names of the agents who worked the case,” Pidge replies glumly.

Keith gives Lance a smirk then leads him to the meeting room where Shiro is talking with Tanya and Edwin. “Ah, yes, Tanya and Edwin, these are the agents working the case right now, Special Agent Keith Kogane and Doctor Lance McClain,” Shiro says. They shake each other’s hands then Lance and Keith sit down. “Alright, why don’t you two start over so Keith and Lance are up to speed on everything?”

Tanya nods. “Okay, so what we were telling Takashi here was that Connor and Jack were taken by a serial kidnapper called The Gravedigger.”

Lance nods. “The Gravedigger? Who thought of that name?”

Tanya chuckles. “I did, actually. Edwin thought it was stupid to give a name, but it ended up working.”

“Very creative name,” Lance compliments. “I - ow!” He turns and glares at Keith after he elbows him. “The hell is wrong with you?”

Keith opens his mouth to retort, but Shiro shoots them a glare. “That’s enough from you two.” He looks back at Tanya and Edwin. “I’m sorry about this, please continue.”

Edwin and Tanya chuckle and exchange a smile. “It’s alright, we’ve dealt with our fair share of young hotshot agents in our time,” Edwin shares. “Anyway, back to the case at hand. The Gravedigger abducts his victims and buries them underground. He then calls the loved ones and if they wire a certain amount of money into an offshore, untraceable bank account within a certain amount of time - usually twenty-four hours - he sends the family directions how to free the victims.”

“Were there more victims?” Lance asks. “You said the Gravedigger was a serial kidnapper.”

Tanya nods. “Yes, the Pierce boys were the third victims of six. Four of the victims’ families paid the ransoms and were saved, but the Pierce boys and one other didn’t.”

“What about that other victim?” Keith asks.

Tanya shrugs. “They were never found.”

“If you can think of anything else that may help our investigation-” Shiro starts.

“Actually, yes,” Edwin says, pulling out a business card from his pocket. “Willis Miles, a kidnap and ransom expert, worked on all but one of the Gravedigger cases. His work address is on the card. He really knows what he’s talking about when it comes to this bastard. I’m certain he’ll be able to help you out. He’s written many books about the Gravedigger and countless other things regarding dealing with ransom and kidnappings.”

Lance takes the card from Edwin and looks it over. Shiro stands up and shakes Tanya’s and Edwin’s hands. “Thank you both for coming. If we get anywhere on the case, we’ll let you two know,” Shiro says. Tanya and Edwin nod and head out of the meeting room. Shiro turns to Lance and Keith. “Alright, I want you two to head to that address and talk to Willis. Please don’t argue with each other, okay? It’s really unprofessional.”

“Shiro, you knew since day one we’d butt heads a lot. You’ve had plenty of chances to stop us from being partners,” Keith retorts. “Ain’t gonna happen.”

Lance smirks. “Besides, you like a little spice in the office. It brings a bit of fun! Shiro, you know we’re a good team together.”

Shiro rubs his forehead. “Okay! I get it! Jeez…and to think you didn’t want to be partners eight months ago.”

Keith rolls his eyes and grabs the keys to one of the SUVs. “Whatever, come on Lance.” He leads Lance to the elevators and then down to the parking garage. Keith drives them to Willis’s work where they find Willis signing autographs on his new book. He has short brown hair, stubble on his chin and upper lip, and tanned skin, meaning he probably spends a lot of time in the sun. Lance and Keith flash their badges and Willis walks over to talk to them.

“Agents, I’m Willis Miles. What can I do for you today?” Willis asks with a smile.

“I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is my partner Doctor Lance McClain,” Keith says. “Do you remember Tanya Beck and Edwin Frazier?”

Willis thinks for a moment then nods. “Yes, I worked closely with them on the Gravedigger cases…what’s this about?”

Keith exchanges a grimace with Lance. “We found Connor and Jack Pierce,” Lance shares. “We understand you’ve written books about the Gravedigger, correct?”

Willis nods. “Yes, I know how he operates and what his patterns are.”

“What can you tell us?” Keith asks, pulling out his notepad.

“The Gravedigger has never been caught because he doesn’t negotiate,” Willis explains. “He only makes one phone call and disguises his voice when doing so. The abductor uses a stun gun to take the victims and they never remember anything.”

Keith nods while writing the information down. “What about tracing the calls? Has that ever gotten anywhere?”

Willis shakes his head no. “The calls either came from too wide an area or with an encrypted router that traced to another country.”

Lance opens his mouth to ask another question, but he gets a text. He pulls out his phone and shows Keith the message.

 

_ Shay: _ _ Coran and I found something you’re gonna want to see. Head to the lab ASAP _

 

Keith nods at Lance then looks back at Willis. “Thank you, Willis. This will help our case greatly.” He motions for Lance to follow him out the door. They make their way to the car and Keith hops in the driver’s seat while Lance gets in the passenger’s seat. Keith drives them to the morgue and they walk inside, showing their badges to the desk worker and make their way to where Shay and Coran are. On the two examination tables, they see the remains of Connor and Jack laid out on them.

Shay smiles when she sees them. “Ah, you’re here! Okay, so, if you look closer at Connor’s remains…tell me what you see.”

Lance grabs some latex gloves and slips them on. He looks up and down the leg bones, eyebrows furring in concentration. Keith peers closer at them to try to see what Shay is talking about, but everything looks the same to him. His eyes shoot to Connor’s shoulders when Lance runs his finger over one of the clavicles. Lance lifts up the left clavicle and rubs his thumb over it. Keith walks over next to him and sees two holes in the bone. “What are those holes from?” Keith asks, looking at Shay.

“Burn marks,” Lance says as he sets the bone down, “from a taser?”

“Now I can’t confirm that it was a taser, but these marks were made with something that went over three hundred degrees Fahrenheit,” Shay says.

“Do these marks appear on Jack?” Keith asks, quickly pulling out his notepad to write the new information down.

“Now that’s the strange part - no they don’t,” Shay replies.

Lance nods. “Okay, compare these findings with the medical reports of the other victims to see if there are any overlaps.”

Shay nods. “I’ll get right on it.” She walks over to the computer and begins typing.

Coran walks into the room, holding a piece of paper and points his finger up. “I found some extra traces on the boys’ clothing. Along with the copper from the vat, I found aluminum and coats of many engine exhausts, gasoline and diesel.”

“Okay, so, maybe they were taken from a parking lot?” Keith offers.

Lance nods in agreement. “Probably an underground one. I want that compared to the other victims too, please.” Shay gives Lance a thumbs up and writes it down on the paper next to her.

Keith sighs and rubs his forehead. “How long did these two survive before their air supply ran out?”

“We’re still running tests, but we’ll send over the information as soon as we get the results,” Coran says.

Keith nods and checks his phone when he gets a text. He sees it’s from Shiro saying it’s the twins’ father, Michael Pierce, in to talk. “Lance and I have to head back to the station. Good work you two, keep it up,” Keith says, motioning for Lance to follow him out.

When they arrive back at the station, they hear yelling from the meeting room. Keith and Lance exchange a concerned expression and walk in, finding Michael pacing back and forth. “This is absolute shit! It’s your fault my sons are dead!” he yells.

“Sir, please calm down,” Shiro instructs.

“No! I won’t calm down when the FBI is the reason why my two little boys are dead!” Michael yells.

“Sir! Take a seat, now,” Keith orders, pointing to the chair. “We’re not the agents who worked on the original case.”

Lance nods and takes a seat. “You can trust us because we’re looking for the killer now.”

Michael takes a deep breath then sits down. “Connor and Jack…they were good kids. Th-they were straight-A students! Connor, was a football star and Jack was a talented artist - won the school’s art contest!” He puts his face in his hands. “I - this is all my fault. I should’ve paid that ransom.” He shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have listened to those agents and just paid the ransom…”

Keith’s phone buzzes and he peeks to look at it while Michael continues talking about his sons. He sees a message from Shay telling him the boys only had 12 hours of air, not 24 like they had originally thought. Keith discretely turns his phone to Lance to show him the text and Lance gives him a thumbs up before placing his hands on the table. “Mister Pierce, our forensic experts discovered that the boys only had about twelve hours of air instead of the original stated twenty-four hours. Even if you paid the ransom, your sons would’ve been dead before the agents got there. Look, this is not your fault. You were right to listen to the agents who worked on your sons’ case originally.”

Michael nods and stands up. “Thank you. I should get going. Will you keep me in the loop if you find out anything else?”

Shiro nods and holds his hand out for Michael to shake. “You’ll be the first we call, thank you again for coming in to speak with us, Mister Pierce.” They shake hands and Michael leaves.

Once he’s gone, Pidge walks into the room, computer in her arms, with Shay behind her with a stack of files. “Hey, we got the files on the other victims and everything matches up with the wounds on Connor, but Jack lacks all of the wounds,” Shay explains. “The wounds Jack does have are fractures on his pelvis, where the left hip bone is, and left patella and fibula, and a nick on the bone where the right femoral artery would be.”

“Okay, well maybe the brothers fought and Connor killed Jack,” Keith suggests. “Maybe Jack blamed him for getting them kidnapped or something.”

Shay shakes her head no. “I don’t think so. The beer vat wasn’t that big enough for Connor to muster up the amount of force needed to create these injuries.” She grimaces. “And the stab wound was self-inflicted.”

Keith blinks in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Keith, Jack sacrificed himself so his brother would have more air,” Shiro explains.

“Okay, but how is that relevant?” Keith crosses his arms. “Both of them still died because the Gravedigger screwed up.”

“It’ll mean something to Mister Pierce that Jack gave up his life to give Connor more time to live,” Lance answers. “That’s why they were holding each other when we found them.”

“That still doesn’t explain the other injuries,” Keith adds.

“I can answer that!” Pidge exclaims. “I ran a couple scenarios - man, this new program of mine can really do it all…sorry, never mind. Anyway, the scenarios showed that the injuries match up with getting hit by a car. Though, the diesel and gasoline that were on both bodies came from different cars so nothing can be traced there.”

Shiro opens his mouth to reply, but Allura walks in with a few files in her hand. “Hello, sorry to interrupt, but I need Shiro to sign off on some other closed cases,” Allura says.

“Right, okay, well everyone head home for the day,” Shiro says. “We’ll get a fresh start tomorrow. Good work, everyone.” He nods at Allura and they walk out into Shiro’s office.

Shay collects the files and smiles at Lance, Keith, and Pidge. “I’m gonna go see Hunk before I head out. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” She waves goodbye then walks out.

Lance folds his notebook and collects the other things he has before making his way towards the door. “Lance? Where are you going?” Keith wonders.

“Oh, uh, didn’t I tell you? I’ve got a date with Nyma,” Lance replies with a small smile.

Pidge stops typing on her computer and turns to Lance with a raised eyebrow. “Nyma Valentina? That bitchy defense attorney all of us hate?”

“I never said I hated her,” Lance counters.

“Wh-where did this come from?” Keith asks.

“We’ve been talking ever since we dealt with that kid who set the bombs out at those game stores back in December,” Lance explains. “I’ve actually been helping her with who to represent and who to not represent.” He chuckles. “I’ve tried ignoring her advances, but she’s just so nice and pretty…I just thought I’d give her a chance.”

Pidge pretends to vomit, but says nothing else, leaving Keith to respond. “Well,” Keith says through clenched teeth, trying not to punch a wall. “I’m happy for you, Lance.” He offers a forced smile, trying his best not to say anything mean about Nyma.

“Thank you, Keith,” Lance replies. He pats Keith’s shoulder then walks into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Keith curses loudly and grabs a chair, debating on whether or not to throw it against the wall. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t,” Pidge says without looking up from her computer screen. “Keith, I’m serious. If anyone can handle Nyma, it’s Lance. He’ll be fine.”

“I’m going to the gym to punch something,” Keith grumbles, swiping his phone off the table. “If you find anything else out, contact Lance.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “Any reason why?”

Keith smirks slightly. “It’ll make the date much more interesting.” He winks at Pidge before heading to the door. “Night, Pidge.”

“Bye, Keith,” Pidge says with a salute.

Keith walks out of the meeting room and towards his desk to grab his backpack. Once he makes sure he has everything in his bag, Keith heads to the elevator then into the parking garage to his motorcycle. He unlocks his helmet and slips it on before starting his bike. Making sure the coast is clear, he speeds out of the garage and onto the road, heading towards the gym.

If Lance wanted to ruin his life by going out with Nyma, then so be it. Why should Keith care anyway?

* * *

 

 

Lance takes a deep breath and fixes his tie once more before giving up. He looks fine in this suit so why is he worrying? He never worries about looking absolutely perfect for a date. “Come on, Lance,” he tells himself in the mirror. “You’ve got this! You’re gonna rock Nyma’s world and the date’s gonna go great!” This is his favorite dark grey suit he uses only for special occasions and this is definitely one of them.

He attempts a smile, but sighs and shakes his head. Lance turns away from the mirror to finish packing up his bag, checking if he has his laptop, notebook, and other files. He pats his pockets for his keys and phone then heads out of his office and towards the elevators. Lance looks both ways from the door to see if any cars are coming before approaching his own car. He opens the back seat and loads it up before shutting the door once again. Lance takes out his phone and sends Nyma a text saying he’s just leaving the station and is excited for their date. He reaches for the driver’s door, but pauses when he hears the door to the station open and slam shut.

“Lance!” a voice exclaims.

Lance turns and sees Pidge running towards him. “I’ve got-”

 

_ SCREECH _

 

Lance screams when a car hits Pidge, knocking her to the ground. He rushes over to her and kneels beside her. “Pidge?! Can you hear me?!” He feels for a pulse and sighs in relief when he senses one. He pulls out his phone to call 911, but something touches his neck and his muscles begin to spazz out, as if he’s being electrocuted. He yells for it to stop, but eventually collapses on the ground.

He blinks a couple times, eyesight blurry then the world goes black.

 

* * *

 

_ One _

 

_ One, two _

 

_ One, two, three _

 

_ Pause _

 

Keith’s fist connects with the maroon, sand-filled punching bag in front of him at a steady rhythm, switching which hand he starts off with each time. His hair is pulled back into a low ponytail to keep it out of his face. Sweat drips down his face and onto the white tank top he put on when he arrived at the gym. Keith finds taking his frustrations out on a sack of sand is better than taking it out on the actual problem itself. It’s actually kind of fun.

His anger management counselor / shrink suggested it.

 

Thanks Lance.

 

Keith’s phone rings loudly, but he ignores it, continuing his routine on the punching bag. The notification goes off, signaling he has a missed call then goes silent for a couple more minutes until he receives another phone call. Keith groans in frustration and stops what he’s doing to pick up the phone. He sees that it’s Nyma calling and rolls his eyes before answering, “What do you want, Nyma? I’m busy at the gym.”

She huffs in frustration, but continues anyway. “Is Lance with you? He hasn’t shown up to the restaurant yet.”

“Maybe he stood you up,” Keith retorts automatically. He winces, realizing how mean and wrong that sounded. Lance would never do that. “No, he’s not like that, sorry. I haven’t seen him since I left the station to head to the gym. Did you hear from him that he was gonna be late?”

“The only thing I’ve gotten from him was a text saying he was leaving the station and that he was excited, but that was almost an hour ago,” Nyma replies. “I’m getting worried, Keith. What if something happened?”

Keith’s phone buzzes and he moves it away from his ear to see he has a new voicemail. He furrows his eyebrows in confusion then puts it back up to his ear. “Look, Pidge is still there so I’ll call her to ask if she can check if Lance is still there, okay? I’ll let you know what I find out.” He sighs. “Nyma, I’m sure he’s fine. He probably got stuck in traffic or his phone died or something.”

“Okay, thank you, Keith,” Nyma says. “Bye.”

She hangs up the phone and Keith immediately goes to his voicemail and listens to it. His eyes slowly widen in fear when he hears the voice speak.

 

_ Lance McClain and Katherine Holt have been buried alive. Wire and transfer eight million dollars to the following account or they will suffocate to death. Upon receiving the wired transfer, I will provide you with Lance’s and Katherine’s GPS coordinates. This will be my last communication. _

 

The line goes dead and Keith starts breathing heavily. He shakes his head and immediately calls Shiro, praying he picks up. After a couple rings, Shiro answers. “Hello?”

“Shiro, he took them,” Keith says quickly. “Th-the Gravedigger.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, what? Keith, what are you-”

“The Gravedigger took Lance and Pidge! Get Hunk, Allura, and Shay back at the station and Coran set up for video chat back at the lab, now!” Keith exclaims.

“Okay, Keith, calm down and don’t get yourself hurt getting back here,” Shiro instructs. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, set a timer for twelve hours,” Keith says. “Our countdown has started.” He hangs up and quickly starts a new text conversation between him and Nyma.

 

_ Keith: _ _ get back to the station immediately _

 

_ Nyma: _ _ why? what happened? is lance ok? _

 

_ Keith: _ _ i’ll fill you in when you get there _

_ long story short: the Gravedigger _

 

Keith puts his phone back in his pocket and quickly packs up his stuff before running out of the gym and to his motorcycle. He unlocks his helmet, slips it on, and drives back to the station.

* * *

 

 

Lance’s eyes shoot open and he coughs, wincing as he gets a shooting pain in his neck. He narrows his eyes at the radio, which is playing some pop song, but sounds very staticy, then turns it off. He attempts to open the door, but it doesn’t budge so he tries the window, causing dirt to fall in the car. Lance scrambles to roll it up again. Panic starts to come over him, but a groan from the backseat of the car snaps him back to reality. He turns around and sees a groggy Pidge laying across the back seat attempting to sit up. Her legs are torn up and covered with blood.

“What the…wh-where am I?” she asks with a strained voice. She looks like she’s been drugged. Finally, she notices Lance. “Lance?”

“Pidge, I…I think we’ve been taken by the Gravedigger,” Lance replies with a scared expression. “I-I think I was tasered.” He winces as he runs his finger over the burn marks on his neck. “What happened to you?”

“I can’t remember anything!” Pidge exclaims. “Ow…I think my leg is broken…” She looks back at Lance. “How long have we been down here?”

Lance looks at his watch and narrows his eyebrows. “Well, I planned to leave the station at five forty-five so probably two hours?”

“Okay, so that means we have ten hours of air left,” Pidge states grimly.

Lance bites his lip and gives her hand a squeeze. What could they do?

* * *

 

 

Keith paces back and forth in the meeting room, still wearing his black sweatpants and white tank. Shiro asked him to change, but Keith refused, saying there was no time to. “Okay, so, where were Lance and Pidge going?” Allura asks.

“Lance said he was leaving to meet me at the restaurant for our date,” Nyma shares.

“Then that means Pidge must’ve gone out to tell him something,” Keith adds. “We should check the parking garage again.”

Keith leads the rest of them to the parking garage and they look around, searching for any clues. After a few minutes, Nyma calls out, “Guys! I found blood on the ground over here!”

The others rush over and exchange grim expressions. “If we test it, it’ll definitely match up with either Lance or Pidge,” Hunk states.

“Alright, it’s time to start figuring this out,” Keith says, taking charge. Shiro raises his eyebrows in surprise but doesn’t make any attempts to stop Keith. “Shay, get samples of this blood and take it back to the lab to run tests on it with Coran. See if it matches either Pidge’s or Lance’s blood.” Shay nods and goes back to the station to get some supplies to get a viable sample. “Hunk, I need to know why Pidge was chasing after Lance instead of texting him so take a look at her notes.” Hunk salutes Keith and follows after Shay. “Allura, I need you to contact Pidge’s mom and tell her what’s happened. Nyma, same with you, contact Lance’s family and tell them what’s happened. We need to know why the ransom money is at eight million.” Nyma and Allura nod and head back into the station as Shay comes back out to get a sample of the blood on the ground.  Keith finally turns to Shiro. “You get Willis Miles here as soon as possible, then contact Alfor and see if he can do anything about this ransom money.”

Shiro nods. “And what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to look at the profile Lance started on the Gravedigger,” Keith replies. “Maybe there’s something in there that will help us.” He walks back into the station with Shiro, determined to find his partner and Pidge.

* * *

 

 

“Okay, so we have a packet of water in the way back - I was supposed to bring it home, but never found the time to,” Lance says.

“I see a couple towels back here too under the waters,” Pidge shares.

Lance nods. “We also have a mini kit, ibuprofen, two cell phones with no batteries, a digital camera with a backup battery, and a handful of pens.”

“First of all, I think you’re a hoarder,” Pidge says, “and second of all, that one’s a laser pointer.” She lifts up a small bag from the ground. “Why’s there a bottle of Anne Klein perfume back here?”

Lance chuckles. “Oh, um, that’s actually a gift I was gonna give to Nyma.”

“That’s really sw-ah! Ow!” Pidge hisses in pain. “My leg really hurts - ow!”

“Here.” Lance hands her a couple tablets of ibuprofen and a water bottle to which she graciously accepts. “I hate to say this, but I think you might have compartment syndrome. It’s only gonna get more painful from here.”

Pidge scoffs after she takes the medicine. “More painful than now?”

Lance nods. “Yeah, like slip into shock and die painfully. I know how to fix it because I spent some time in med school, but I-I don’t think you’re gonna like it.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so either, but it’s a better option than death by shock,” Pidge replies. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

 

 

Keith glances nervously at the timer they have set up in the meeting room and sees it says they have a little more than eight hours left to find Lance and Pidge. “Hunk, do you have anything for us?” Shay asks through the FaceTime they have set up so they can work together on the case both at the station and at the lab.

“Well, I couldn’t decipher Pidge’s notes at the moment, but I did figure out how the Gravedigger did that much burn damage to the bones,” Hunk says. “He used a modified commercial stun gun.” He shows them a test he did in his lab by using a stun gun on a test piece of meat with bone. “I figured out the voltage and amperage, but not how it was modified to boost the current.”

“Okay, that’s great, but how’s that gonna help us get Lance and Pidge out of the ground?” Keith asks with a raised eyebrow.

Hunk sighs. “It’s not, but I couldn’t stare at her notes any longer. I ran them through a decoding sequence so maybe that will help. I’m sorry, Keith.”

“Keep looking,” Keith says. “I’m still flipping through Lance’s profile.”

“We’ll find something, Keith,” Shay reassures him. “Don’t worry.”

* * *

 

 

Lance finishes taping off where he needs to make the incision down on Pidge’s leg as she finishes writing on a piece of paper from a notepad they found in the glovebox. He raises an eyebrow at her when she slips it in her pocket. “What’s that for?” he wonders.

“In case we die down here,” Pidge replies. “It’s to my brother, Matt, if he ever gets found and if we ever get found. It basically explains how much he meant to me.”

He nods. “That’s great, Pidge.”

“Thanks - now, what do you have to do to my leg?” she asks.

“I have to make a long incision in your leg to release the pressure,” Lance says as he hands her a folded-up towel to bite down on. “Don’t fight passing out and hold onto something.”

Pidge nods and puts the towel in her mouth, biting down on it. Lance prepares to make the incision but stops when he sees something lodged in her large, bloodied wound. He sets down the pocket knife he found in the kit and picks out a pair of tweezers then slowly pulls it out of her leg. Lance furrows his eyebrows and looks closer at it, noticing it’s a thin of metal. Pidge drops the towel from her mouth and looks at Lance with a confused expression. “What’s that?”

“No idea,” Lance replies. “I found it in your wound.”

Pidge hands him a paper. “Here, put it on this then we can look at it later.”

Lance carefully sets the metal on the paper and then places it in the seat next to him before grabbing the knife again. Pidge puts the towel back in her mouth and grabs onto the handle she was holding onto before.

Once the knife makes contact with her leg, she begins to scream in pain loudly. Lance winces, but continues anyway, feeling awful about everything.

* * *

 

 

Keith rubs his forehead when he sees the timer reads 5 hours left. “Okay! We’re over the halfway mark! Does anyone have  _ anything _ new? I’ve went through all of Lance’s notes and there’s nothing I don’t already know,” he says.

“The aluminum found on the boys’ clothing was from the kidnapper’s car,” Shay shares through the video screen. “It’s from a box, probably in the trunk.”

Keith nods. “Good, okay. That can be used to locate the Gravedigger, but I need something that will help us find our friends!”

Shiro suddenly walks in with a solemn expression. “Alfor said he can’t get the ransom money together in time since there’s no proof of life from the kidnapper.”

Keith clenches his fists and slams them on the table in frustration. “Dammit! Shiro, we can’t lose them. Are you sure he can’t pull any strings?”

Shiro shakes his head no. “The FBI doesn’t operate like that, Keith.” He turns to the door when Allura and Nyma walk in. “Any news from their families?”

“Coleen Holt is aware of her daughter’s kidnapping and offers her assistance in any way possible,” Allura replies.

“Lance’s family is visiting the rest of their family in Cuba,” Nyma shares. “I couldn’t get ahold of them.”

“Keep trying, Nyma,” Keith says. “If…if we don’t get to them - they can’t come back to news that their son is dead.”

Nyma walks up to Keith and crosses her arms. “Keith, you’re the stubbornest guy I’ve ever met. I know you won’t give up on them.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Keith demands.

“First of all, I’ve done countless cross examinations on you, Keith. You’re one stubborn bastard,” Nyma replies, jabbing her finger at Keith’s chest. “Second of all, Lance doesn’t shut up about you. All he talks about is that book he’s writing on your life. I want to hate you for it, but I can’t because you’re too good at what you do. Now think, what did you learn from Lance’s profile?”

“I-I don’t-” Keith stammers.

“Think, Kogane, what did you learn from the profile?” Nyma questions.

“The Gravedigger is clever. He studies his victims and memorizes their patterns, waiting for the perfect time to strike,” Keith explains. “He waits ‘till they’re alone and-” His eyes widen in realization.

Nyma smiles smugly. “There we go.”

“I don’t think it was a coincidence Lance was taken at the time he was,” Keith states.

* * *

 

 

_ HONK _

 

Pidge jolts awake from the back seat and Lance sighs in relief. “Oh my god…thank goodness I didn’t kill you. You’ve been out for a while…how’s your leg?”

“It’s better…a lot better actually,” Pidge replies. “You did great, Lance, thank you.” She narrows her eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”

Lance grumbles and sets down the phone. “I’m trying to hotwire the phone to the horn so we can send a message, but I’m having some difficulty doing so.”

Pidge chuckles. “Clearly, but from underground?”

“We get radio reception,” Lance replies, going back to the phone.

“Lemme try.” She reaches for it and begins moving the wires around. “A direct current twelve volt will burn these circuits in this five-volt cell phone in a microsecond. We better have a jury rigger resistor.” She finishes with the phone and hands it back to Lance. “It might work long enough to send a single burst transmission.”

“That’s perfect!” Lance exclaims. “We’ll send a very short text message and Keith can trace it through a cell phone relay tower.”

“More like Hunk,” Pidge replies. “Keith can’t operate a computer properly. So, what should we send? Goodbye?”

Lance gives her an unamused expression. “What are we surrounded by?”

Pidge sighs and looks dramatically out the window. “Pain, despair-”

“And a subsoil accumulation of a gluten and aridisol,” Lance finishes.

Pidge grabs a bit from the ground and smells it. She gags and grimaces. “There’s ash and hints of nitrogen and sulfur.”

“Okay, we’re in coal country…which is basically Virginia, but we need more than that,” Lance says.

Pidge furrows her eyebrows for a moment then looks at the stuff on the other seat next to Lance. “Hand me the perfume and the laser pointer.”

“What? Why?!” Lance demands.

“Lance, just do it,” Pidge retorts.

Lance pouts, but complies. “What are you gonna do with it?”

“Figuring out the specific compounds in here. Now, hand me the camera,” Pidge says next.

Lance hands her the camera then Pidge nods at him to dump the perfume. He sighs but does as she says. Once the bottle is empty, Lance moves the laser pointer around on the dirt while Pidge looks through the lens of the camera. A couple seconds later, Pidge lowers the camera and looks at Lance with wide eyes. “I-I know where we are.”

* * *

 

 

Keith paces back and forth in the meeting room while Hunk sorts through Pidge’s computer after he finally decoded everything. He opens his mouth to ask Hunk if he found anything useful, but Willis walks in with his arms crossed. “There’s no negotiating with the Gravedigger. You should’ve paid the ransom,” he says.

Keith rubs his forehead and looks at Lance’s open notes on the table. He looks back at Willis. “You’ve been through this five times, correct?”

“Yes, I have,” Willis replies. “That’s how I know there’s no negotiating with him.”

“No chat room action?” Keith asks with a smirk.

“Are you nuts? I hate the son of a bitch!” Willis exclaims.

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Why? He’s made you rich.”

Willis glares at Keith. “You just need to deal with the facts, agent. If you can’t put the ransom together in the time he gives you then your partner is dead.”

Suddenly, Keith seizes him and shoves him on the table, startling Hunk, then puts his hand around Willis’s neck, choking him.

Keith glowers down at him. “Here’s the deal, you have a relationship with this guy - symbiotic or whatever. I’m not an expert with the mental bullshit part of things, Lance takes care of that. That’s what makes us such a good team. Anyway, you benefit from each other. Know this: when that deadline comes around and if my partner and Pidge are still in the ground…I will end you, understand?"  


Willis grips Keith’s wrist and tries to push him away, coughing for air. After a few more seconds, Keith releases Willis and lifts him up by his collar. “You have three hours to live.” He shoves Willis towards the door. “Better hurry.”

Willis rubs his neck and storms out. Once he’s gone, Hunk looks at Keith. “You handled that well.”

Keith gives Hunk a glare then plops down in a chair, rubbing his forehead.

* * *

 

 

Lance connects the final wires to the horn while Pidge looks at what he found in her leg. “Hmm…this might be a bumper sticker.” Her jaw drops down. “Someone ran me down with a car!”

“We knew that already.”

“Yeah, but now it’s proven and I find that I’m pissed about it!” Pidge exclaims.

Lance chuckles. “Anyway, we’ll have about four to six seconds to send the message. After the message is typed, hit speed dial.”

“Alright! I figured out a text message to send that uses eight taps. I’ve got thumbs like lightning so I should do this,” Pidge says.

Lance nods and hands her the phone. “Alright, let me know when you’re ready.”

Pidge takes a deep breath and nods “Ready.”

Lance slams his hand on the horn while Pidge quickly begins to type. He winces at the loud noise and after a few seconds the phone shorts out and starts to smoke a bit. Lance looks back when he smells smoke and sees Pidge slowly setting the phone down. They make eye contact. “Did it send?” he wonders.

“I think,” she replies. “I hope it did.”

* * *

 

 

Keith begins collecting Lance’s papers on the profile of the Gravedigger and brings them to Lance’s office. He walks inside and sighs at the emptiness feeling inside the room then sets Lance’s papers back on his desk. Keith’s phone buzzes and he pulls it out of his pocket. His eyes widen when he sees a message from Lance so Keith opens it and sees the message:

 

_ 6 7 16 M1.4 _

 

“GUYS!” Keith yells, running out of the office. Shiro and Allura turn and look at him. “I got a message from Lance!” He quickly runs into the meeting room and writes it down on the board as Shiro and Allura walk in. Nyma stands up and looks at the numbers.

“What does any of this mean?” she wonders.

“That’s what I wanna know,” Keith replies, turning the video screen so Coran and Shay can see the board. “Does this mean anything to anyone?”

Allura shakes her head. “They are running low on oxygen, maybe it was a mistake?”

“Lack of oxygen does lead to mental confusion,” Shay says with a solemn expression.

“No! I won’t accept that. Lance and Pidge wouldn’t make mistakes like this!” Keith exclaims. “Everyone think!” He slams his hand on the board. “Our friends are running out of time!”

“Okay, so, we know how the taser was used and how it was modified thanks to Hunk. We also know about the customized aluminum case in the back of the car thanks to Coran and Shay. What are we doing with that?” Allura asks.

“Allura, I’ve got agents working that angle,” Shiro says.

“Focus on the message!” Keith exclaims.

Nyma shakes her head and sits down. “Keith, your numbers girl is in the ground. It’s gonna take time.”

“We don’t have time!” Keith looks at the timer and his eyes widen when he sees the time counting down from one. “Oh no…”

Hunk sighs. “Lance and Pidge are out of air,” he says as the timer hits zero.

* * *

 

 

Lance and Pidge take a deep breath as the air from the spare tire in the back begins to fill the room. “Oh my god,” Lance whispers. He feels the pain in his lungs begin to lessen and the sweet relief of oxygen fill his lungs. “I love air…how long did you say this would last us?”

Pidge shakes her head. “I didn’t. We’ve got four more tires in the car, but we can’t get to them.” She turns and leans back against the seat. “If the ransom was paid, we’d be out by now…let’s just accept the inevitable that we’re gonna die down here.”

“Pidge, we can’t give up. Keith will find us,” Lance says firmly. “We’re partners and Keith’s the stubbornest man I’ve ever met. Nothing will stop him from finding us.”

Pidge closes her eyes and shakes her head, almost seeming like she’s giving up, but a few seconds later her eyes shoot open and she looks at Lance. “I need the camera batteries and the preservative powder from the kit right now.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows in confusion but does as told. “Okay, but why?”

“Soda ash and lithium make a carbon dioxide scrubber,” she explains as she puts the ash in a little container then punctures the batteries, then pours water onto the ash. “It creates-”

A sizzling sound fills the car and Lance takes a deep breath of oxygen. He chuckles and looks at her. “Oxygen.”

“Hey, if you can perform surgery out of thin air, who says I can’t pull a little thin air out of thin air,” she says, taking the container from Lance. “Now, this gives us just enough time for my next idea which will probably kill us - airbags!”

“You do realize those aren’t actually filled with air, right?” Lance asks.

“Duh,” she replies. “I’m gonna rig this up to blow our way out of here using the explosives!”

“Oh, then yeah that’ll definitely kill us!”

“So will doing nothing. Now, are you gonna help me with this or not?” She turns and raises an eyebrow at him.

Lance pauses to think for a moment, staring at the pens. “Okay.” He climbs into the front seat but pauses when he sees a piece of paper. “Actually, first I wanna do something.” He grabs another piece of paper and a pen then begins to write a note.

* * *

 

 

“No, it’s Lance and Pidge - two brilliant people. They found a way to get more air,” Keith states determined.

Hunk nods. “You’re right, Keith. Okay, well, these numbers aren’t a numeric code nor GPS coordinates. They’re also not part of Pidge’s custom code.”

Allura shakes her head no. “We need to take an intuitive leap. I do not care if Lance says we should not jump to conclusions, but that message was from one of them to one of us.”

“Easy, Lance’s cell to mine,” Keith says. “We’re partners and work together so we know each other.”

“Keith, we all work with Lance,” Shay replies. “Besides, it’s numbers so Pidge-”

“Pidge! I’m such an idiot!” Hunk exclaims, pulling out Pidge’s computer again. “It’s gotta be from her because they’re buried alive and it’s gotta be about dirt.”

“What does that have to do with-” Nyma starts, but Willis walks in with a solemn look on his face.

“Agent Kogane, I used all my contacts and got on all of the local news shows, explaining we needed more time, but couldn’t get anything,” he says.

Keith opens his mouth to yell at him, but Hunk gasps again. “Six, seven, and sixteen - carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur on the periodic table of elements.” He starts typing. “They gotta be in coal rich soil.”

“Too big of an area,” Keith comments. “Narrow it down.”

“Well, mineral components of coal are all the same, but the organic components provide a unique fingerprint called…” Coran starts, waiting for Hunk to catch on.

“Uh…crap what’s it - oh! Macerals!” Hunk exclaims.

Coran smiles and nods. “Precisely! They fluoresce at different levels. One point four is very rare so it has to have a high concentration of inertinite.”

Hunk nods while Coran talks. Keith furrows his eyebrows as Hunk continues typing, slowly narrowing down an area of land until a red dot appears on the screen. “Y-you found them,” Keith whispers in awe. “We got them! Come on, let’s move!”

* * *

 

 

From Pidge’s instructions, Lance has rigged the airbags to go off. “Okay, this should work, but I’m not that much of an explosives expert. Hunk taught me a lot though so, from my calculations, the dash is probably shaped enough to blow up the windshield. If we’re less than four feet beneath the surface then the charge will blow us to freedom, but if we’re more than four feet…”

Lance nods. “Brain jelly from concussions - I got it.” He checks a few other things then turns back to Pidge. “Right, well, we should get as far away from the explosion as possible.”

Pidge gives him a small smile. “I already am…care to join me?”

* * *

 

 

Keith, Hunk, and Allura arrive at the site Hunk found in an SUV just as Shiro and Nyma do. Shay and Coran said they’d meet up with them later. Once Keith parks the car, he jumps out of the driver’s seat and hurries over to the edge of a steep decline into a dirt field. Other agents arrive, along with Willis, to provide backup. “Okay, everyone listen up! Look around this area for tire tracks, evidence of recent digging, mounds - basically anything that doesn’t look normal to you! They could be buried anywhere!”

Everyone begins looking around while Keith paces back and forth at the edge of the dirt incline. He clenches and unclenches his fists, trying to mentally calm himself down. If he didn’t find Lance and Pidge, Keith would never be able to live with himself. He already has an unhealthy obsession with his mother’s case, and putting Lance’s and Pidge’s murder on top of that - Keith would probably go insane. Not to mention if Shiro tried to replace Lance with someone else…that wouldn’t go well. Keith barely accepted Lance to begin with and now that he let Lance in, losing him would push him over the edge. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith sees Willis shaking his head no as he watches the other agents look around the area. They’ve gotten this far…was it too late?

Suddenly, a burst of dirt explodes from the ground in the distance. Keith’s eyes widen in shock and he starts running over, not taking his eyes off where the dirt came up. He nearly trips running down the steep decline, but he catches himself and starts running once again. Keith slides to his knee on the ground and starts digging until his hand brushes against another hand. “Lance!” he exclaims, grabbing the hand with his own and pulling. He finds another tan hand and grabs it, pulling harder. Lance’s head pops out Keith laughs in relief and reaches farther in, wrapping his arm around Lance’s waist. Keith grunts as he pulls Lance out the rest of the way, causing Lance to fall on top of him. Keith smiles widely when he looks up at Lance.

“I knew you’d find me,” Lance whispers as Keith hugs him tightly again.

At this point, Keith sees everyone else running over to join them. He holds onto Lance for a couple seconds more then lets him go. “Find Pidge,” Lance whispers.

Keith nods and begins digging along with Shiro and Hunk. After a few more seconds Keith finds her arm and pulls her out, but her eyes are closed. “Pidge?” Keith asks, shaking her shoulders a bit.

She coughs and slowly opens her eyes to look up at him. “Keith?”

“Oh my god.” Keith pulls her in for a tight hug. She wraps her arms tightly around his neck and sniffles. “It’s okay…I’ve got you.”

“Keith! We want turns!” Hunk complains.

Keith releases Pidge so Hunk can give her a hug. Shiro, Allura, Shay, and Coran take turns hugging Pidge. He smiles at them then looks back at Lance, but stops smiling when he sees Nyma hugging him. Keith looks away and shakes his head, standing up so the paramedics can get to Pidge and Lance.

Shiro pats Keith’s shoulder. “You did a great job with this case, Keith. I’m happy you took initiative.”

Keith sighs. “I just…I couldn’t lose them, Shiro.”

“And to think you originally hated the idea of working with Lance,” Shiro comments with a smile. “You’ve grown a lot in these past eight months, Keith. I could see you leading this team one day.”

Keith scoffs. “Yeah, right. I’ve still got awful anger management - did Lance have any idea what you were making him deal with? I’m a handful.”

“Actually, he asked me to consult with you,” Shiro reveals. “I only said I brought him in because he asked me to.”

Keith frowns as Lance’s ambulance drives away. “Really? Why would he ask you to keep that a secret?”

Shiro shrugs. “No idea. Anyway, you should go visit him at the hospital and give him a break from Nyma.”

“Yeah, no. I’m not third-wheeling with those two,” Keith declines. He then winces. “I mean, he’s got enough company already. He doesn’t need me over there.”

“Okay, whatever you say, Keith,” Shiro replies.

“I’m gonna head back to the station now. Will you take Hunk and Allura back?” Keith asks.

“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Shiro answers as Keith waves goodbye.

He heads back to the SUV and drives back to the station to get his bike. He parks the SUV in the parking garage and grabs his bag from the trunk before unlocking his helmet from his bike. Keith puts the helmet on his head and tightens the straps on his backpack before revving the motorcycle’s engine. He smirks to himself and speeds out of the parking garage, taking a sharp turn onto the road and begins the journey home.

Keith decides to take the scenic route home through the thick trees, knowing no one ever takes this road. He leans forward slightly and speeds up the slightest bit, trees turning into green blurs as he soars past.

He skids to a stop once he reaches his house and pulls his bike into the garage. Keith locks everything up and feels his phone buzzing with a phone call. He furrows his eyebrows in confusion when he sees Nyma calling. Keith timidly presses accept and puts the phone up to his ear. “Hello?” he asks.

“Keith!” Lance’s voice rings through. “Oh my god, where the hell are you? Why aren’t you at the hospital? I just woke up from whatever sedatives they gave me and I didn’t see you here.”

Keith smiles to himself as he walks inside his house. 

“What are you talking about? Nyma just told me you’re the one who didn’t give up on finding us,” Lance replies. “Not to mention she wouldn’t stop asking if I was okay - Nyma! I don’t wanna hear it right now!” Lance pauses. “My phone is four feet underground in pieces!” He huffs then continues. “Anyway, I better see you here tomorrow. I wanna tell you what all happened…”

Keith chuckles and sets his keys and helmet down on his counter. Maybe he misjudged Lance’s priorities…he was the first person he called after waking up. Keith brushes his thoughts aside - he can’t let his personal and selfish feelings get in the way.

It’s not fair.

All Keith knows is he won’t rest until the bastard who did this is found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure when I'll begin writing the next chapter to this AU since this chapter too a lot out of me. I'll be taking a break from it and focusing more on the Hogwarts AU, High School AU, and the special one-shot I've been working on.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Please be kind in the comment section. The artist and I work very hard on this!
> 
> Writer's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)  
> Artist's Tumblr: [burtburt0614](http://burtburt0614.tumblr.com)


	4. Pi Kappa Alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this case, the gang takes a trip to Big Rapids, Michigan to investigate a murder/rape case of a young first year girl. The prime suspect is a frat there called Pi Kappa Alpha or "Pike" for short. Will the team catch them in the act or will they get away with more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This chapter deals with mentions and aspects of rape. If this is something that makes you uncomfortable, please be cautious when you read or don't read it at all. I don't describe in detail any of the rapes, but I do describe the moments up until the initial point AND the aftermath of it on the dead bodies.

* * *

 

_ July 26 _

* * *

“Okay, pass me that medical report over there,” Pidge says, pointing at the stack of papers in front of Keith. “I’m gonna see if it matches up with the one found at the scene of Matt’s kidnapping.”

Keith pushes up his glasses on his nose and looks at Pidge. “Wait, you think there are similarities between the two?” He hands the file to her.

“Duh, a dead body was found at Matt’s kidnaping site and your mom’s,” Pidge replies as she takes the file from him. “They were killed in a sophisticated, practically routine kind of way. If we can match up the wounds then we have a single group of people to link together the crimes.” She types the data into the computer.

“It’s still not enough to bring to Shiro for a full-blown investigation,” Keith replies, continuing to read through his mother’s file. “We need something extremely concrete. If we don’t provide that, we’re never gonna get to do this again.”

“I know, Keith,” Pidge replies. “We-”

Keith sits up straight when he hears the doorknob to Pidge’s office jiggle and the door begin to open. Pidge casually presses a button on her screen while Keith frantically tries putting things away but ends up falling out of his chair and tossing files everywhere. He looks over and sees Lance in the doorway, arms crossed with a raised eyebrow. Keith looks up sheepishly at him, eyes wide.

“What are you doing?” Lance asks.

“Uh…um-” Keith stammers, heart racing. Could Lance see the files on the ground by him? He’d be pissed if he found out Keith and Pidge were working on Matt’s and Krolia’s cases.

Pidge sighs and rubs her forehead. “We’re just going over some old cases. I don’t know why Keith fell out of his seat.”

“I don’t believe you,” Lance replies. “I’ve known you guys for almost a year now. I don’t buy it.”

“We’re planning something for your birthday!” Keith exclaims suddenly, jumping up from the floor. He quickly takes off his glasses and offers Lance a smile.

Lance’s lip quirks slightly. “Really? I’m a little surprised you remembered it’s Friday. Nyma wanted to take me out to dinner, but then we were called in to Big Rapids - speaking of which, the jet leaves in thirty minutes.” He nods at them then walks out.

“You idiot!” Pidge smacks him with a file. “Now we have three days to plan something for his birthday! You couldn’t have said anything else?!”

Keith glares at her. “Pidge, he’s a profiler for god’s sake. We’re lucky he bought that lie! I’ll think of something…just get packed up, okay?” He walks back out to his desk and grabs his suitcase and backpack. Keith waits for Pidge by the door and a few minutes later she walks out with her own briefcase and a backpack full of her electronics.

They walk out back together where the jet is and they find Hunk and Lance talking with Shiro. Once Shiro notices Keith and Pidge walking over, he sends Hunk and Lance onto the jet. “It’s nice of you two to finally join us,” Shiro comments, crossing his arms.

Keith rolls his eyes. “I don’t need this right now, Shiro.” He goes to walk past, but Shiro holds him back.

“Not so fast. I have something to tell the both of you,” Shiro says. “Another agent will be meeting us in Big Rapids, Michigan and will possibly be joining the team.”

“What? Why do we need another agent on the team? I don’t need another agent to work with me…I have Lance,” Keith retorts defensively.

“Didn’t he tell you?” Shiro wonders.

Keith blinks, confused. “Tell me what?”

“He won’t be going out with you on every interview or arrest anymore because he’s going to teach a class to new agents,” Shiro shares. “The new agent is transferring from the national security branch. She’s very good at what she does and will be a valuable asset to the team so play nice. Her name is Ezor Parisi.”

Pidge’s breath hitches slightly and she bites her lip. “Shiro, is this the best idea? You know how she operates.”

“I know,” Shiro replies. “Why do you think I put her as Keith’s new partner?” He pats her shoulder and gestures for her to get on the jet.

“Shiro, I don’t agree to this. I’ll just have Hunk come with me,” Keith says defiantly.

“Keith, I frankly don’t care what you have to say on the matter. If you’re not up to the task then I’ll just find another agent who will,” Shiro replies. “Are we clear?”

Keith huffs in frustration. “Fine, but just so you know you’re the one who forced me to get along with Lance. You’re never gonna find a better team than us.” He brushes past Shiro and storms onto the plane. Lance pats the open seat next to him for Keith, but Keith ignores him, plopping down next to Pidge instead.

Shiro walks onto the jet and the door shuts after him. He sits down next to Lance. “Pidge, go ahead and brief everyone on the case.”

“Right,” Pidge says. She pulls out her laptop and connects it to the screens on the jet. “Okay, a female body was found on a college campus behind a dumpster. She appeared to have been sexually assaulted before she was killed by strangulation. Her name is Natalie Kessler. She’s nineteen years old, a first year, and a nursing major. The main suspect local PD has elected to investigate is a fraternity house called Pi Kappa Alpha, or Pike for short.”

Keith scrolls through the pictures of the body at the crime scene and notes the careless way her body was tossed, like it was a piece of garbage. Her shirt is torn down the middle and her pants are halfway down her thighs. He gets to the pictures of the fraternity house and scoffs at the obnoxious red and gold posters surrounding it and the big flag they have draped over the side. “What a bunch of scumbags,” he comments to himself.

“Well, you’re not wrong there, Keith,” Pidge says. “This isn’t the first time they’ve been in the spotlight. They’re infamously known for raping girls on campus, but no one can ever prove it. They’ve never been caught and no one has ever heard anything because, according to rumors, they have a secret room hidden in the house that is soundproof and filled with different kinds of roofies.”

“Have there been any other killings similar to this on the campus?” Lance asks.

“Two, but neither of those have been traced back to Pike,” Pidge replies. “The two bodies didn’t have similar injuries and they couldn’t find any evidence of semen on the bodies. Shay’s already in Big Rapids going over things with the medical examiner.”

“There’s a possibility the school knows about the rapes but is covering them up so their name isn’t tainted,” Lance says. “The college was founded by Woodbridge Ferris in 1884 and became a state college in 1950. The school was noteworthy when it was founded for accepting female students beginning with its graduating class. Ferris’s biggest major programs are nursing, pharmacy, and business.”

“Hmph, it’s a shame Pike is associated with this school,” Pidge comments.

“It’s the seventeenth largest university in the state, the largest being Michigan State University - no surprise there.” Lance scrolls down on his screen. “Some of the popular spots on campus are FLITE, which is the library, and the quad. An off-campus spot is Shooters.”

“Strange name,” Hunk says. “What kind of place is it?”

“It’s a bar or dance place. Minors can get in for five dollars,” Lance replies. “Perhaps that’s where Pike targets their victims.”

Shiro nods. “We’ll look into it. What other frats and sororities are at Ferris?”

“The main frats are Sigma Pi, Pike, and Alpha Phi Alpha while the main sororities are Delta Zeta, Pi Sigma Sigma, and Delta Sigma Theta,” Lance shares.

Keith rolls his eyes and sets his tablet down. “I hate frats and sororities. When I was in college, all of my friends wouldn’t shut up about being in one. I just wanted a degree so I could get out of that hellhole.”

Pidge snickers. “Speaking of which, what did you major in?”

“Sports marketing, but that’s not what I wanted to do with my life. I was on a baseball scholarship so I had to do something in my free time before I could join the police academy,” Keith answers.

“Fair enough,” Pidge shuts her laptop. “And since when did you play baseball?”

“Since I was four,” Keith replies, standing up when the jet lands. He smirks at her glare then exits the jet, taking in the fresh air. He expected it to be a bit warmer here, but it’s surprisingly comfortable. There’s a slight breeze, keeping the air temperature cool. He walks over to one of the cars Shiro had the agency provide and he waits for the others to get inside.

Keith drives them to the police station where the local police said they could set up their base and parks the car. They walk inside and Keith spots another agent discussing things with the chief captain. She has long brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and tan skin slightly lighter than Lance’s.

The agent and the chief notice Keith and his team walk in and they walk over to greet them. Keith narrows his eyes when he notices something odd about her left leg when she walks but refrains from commenting on it. He’d have to talk to Lance about it later…if  _ Shiro _ allows it.

Shiro shakes hands with the agent. “Hello, I’m Special Agent Ezor Parisi…you must be Takashi.”

Shiro nods. “Yes, and these are the rest of the team members. Tsuyoshi Garett is our weapons specialist.”

“I go by Hunk,” Hunk says with a smile, offering his hand for Ezor to shake.

“Katherine Holt is our-” Shiro starts.

“I know who this is,” Pidge interrupts coldly. “Where can I set up my computers?”

Keith expects Ezor to yell at Pidge or something, but he’s surprised to see Ezor is unaffected by Pidge’s rudeness. “The room down the hall and to the left,” Ezor says, pointing down the hallway.

“Right, well, this is Doctor Lance McClain, our psychologist profiler,” Shiro says, gesturing to Lance as Pidge takes Hunk down the hallway.

Lance shakes Ezor’s hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Ezor responds, giving him a kind smile.

Shiro nods. “And lastly, this is-”

“Special Agent Keith Kogane,” Ezor says with a smug expression, dark blue eyes twinkling. “I’ve heard a lot about him. When the agents that I work with heard I was transferring, they told me a lot about Keith.”

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Well, you’ll just have to see if the rumors are true then.”

“I guess I will,” Ezor replies before turning back to the police chief. “This is Officer Nielsen.”

Shiro, Lance, and Keith take turns shaking the chief’s hand. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. We used to get complaints from the school about this fraternity, but we could never prove anything.”

“How long has this been going on?” Lance asks.

“Since before I became chief here,” Officer Nielsen replies. “It’s a shame, but this is the first murder we’ve heard of and thought to get some help.”

Shiro nods. “You made the right choice. If you have any notes that your officers took from the initial scene of the crime, please get them to Doctor McClain as soon as possible.”

“On it,” Officer Nielsen says before walking away.

Shiro leads Keith, Lance, and Ezor over to where Pidge and Hunk went off to. Keith looks around the room, figuring it must be for important meetings. Pidge already claimed the majority of the area with her tech while Hunk begins writing on the whiteboard.

“Alright, Hunk, when you finish up with that, you and Lance head to the morgue to meet up with Shay and the mortician,” Shiro orders before turning to Keith and Ezor. “You two head to the school and talk with the friends of the victim. The dean should be calling them to the office right about now. I’m going to see if the Officer Nielsen has anything else about Pike.” He walks out of the room.

Before Lance can even set down his backpack, Keith grabs his arm and yanks him out of the room. Once they’re out of earshot from everyone else, Keith turns and crosses his arms. “So, when were you going to tell me about this class you’re teaching?”

Lance sighs and removes his glasses ro rub his forehead. “Keith, if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t ask to do it. Shiro recommended me and they picked me for the job.”

“You could’ve rejected it,” Keith says. “Why did you accept? We need you here on the team.”

Lance puts his glasses back on. “I didn’t accept! Shiro just told me I’d be teaching a class to new agents and didn’t give me an option to opt out!” He sighs. “If I had a choice, I’d pick being on this team full-time. I’ll still be around…just not as much as before.”

Keith clenches his jaw. “You said you’d never abandon me. This kinda feels like the exact opposite of that.” He looks Lance in the eyes, glaring at him. “And you wonder why I have trust issues.” Keith brushes past Lance and walks into the meeting room. “Ezor, let’s go.”

She exchanges a confused expression with Hunk and Pidge before following Keith out the door. Ezor jogs a bit to catch up with Keith. “Hey, what’s up?” she wonders.

“Don’t worry about it,” Keith replies coldly as he gets into the driver’s seat of one of the cars. Ezor hops in the passenger seat and snatches the keys out of Keith’s hand before he can start the car. “Hey!”

Ezor looks at him. “Look, I know you don’t like the idea of me possibly joining team as your new partner-”

“Lance is my partner,” Keith interrupts.

Ezor takes a deep breath and composes herself. “I’m aware. I know he’s your partner and I wouldn’t dream of intruding. Shiro personally asked me to join but didn’t say why. I lost a partner a while ago and haven’t had one since so I’m not too happy about this arrangement either.” She looks out the window, obviously thinking about some painful memories.

“Who?” Keith wonders.

Ezor chuckles and looks back at Keith, handing him the keys. “You’re a detective, aren’t you?” She lifts her left sleeve up to reveal a prosthetic arm. “I’ve got a matching left leg one as well, but that’s the only hint you’re gonna get.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion but drops the subject to start the car. He drives the, to the campus and pull into the parking lot near the main building. Ezor and Keith get out of the car and enter the main building. “I’ll go find the dean of students, alright? Wait here.” She heads off down one of the hallways.

Ignoring Ezor’s directions, Keith wanders off into a different area where a large set of windows are and some chairs where students can do homework are. He looks out the window at the silent campus, seeing a few students walking across the sidewalk, face buried in a phone.

“Excuse me?” someone asks from behind him. “Are you lost?”

Keith turns around to see a girl with blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail and glasses similar to Lance’s. She has a grey backpack on her back and workout clothes on - Keith concludes she must’ve just came from the gym. He pulls out his badge and shows it to her.

“Oh! You must be one of the agents the dean of students called me in to talk to!” she exclaims.

Keith nods. “Yes, I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane…and you are?”

“Christine Rogers,” the girl says with a shy smile. “I just finished my workout at the gym so that’s why I’m late.”

“I actually have no idea where my…associate is so I wouldn’t say you’re late,” Keith replies. “So, you knew Natalie Kessler?”

Christine scoffs. “Yeah, well, that’s all there’s to say on our relationship. She’s - well, was - my crappy suitemate.”

“Why-” Keith starts but stops when he sees Ezor coming back with the dean and three other students.

“Keith! This is Joy Pufhal, the dean of students,” Ezor introduces.

Keith shakes Joy’s hand. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you both for coming. These are some of Natalie’s friends and roommates,” Joy says. “Philip Knott, Morgan Scussel, and Joe Kilcherman.” She looks at Christine. “Ah, I see you’ve already met Christine Rogers. If that’s all, I have some other matters to attend to.”

“Okay, thank you Missus Pufhal,” Ezor says with a nod. She looks at the students. “So, how do each of you specifically know the victim?”

“I’m Natalie’s boyfriend,” Philip replies with a sad expression. “She wasn’t returning my calls…I-I don’t know how this could happen!”

Morgan rubs his shoulder then turns to Ezor. “I’m Natalie’s roommate and Christine is our suitemate.”

“I’m in the frat Sigma Pi so I’ve seen her at some parties,” Joe says.

Keith looks at Ezor and exchanges a knowing expression with her. “We don’t want to take up more of your time so I’ll take Morgan and Philip over there,” Ezor says gesturing over to some seats by the windows.

Philip and Morgan follow Ezor while Keith leads Christine and Joe to the opposite side of the room. “I had a feeling you two wouldn’t want to listen to Philip and Morgan go off on how much they love Natalie,” Keith says, sitting down across from Christine and Joe.

“Thank you, Agent Kogane,” Christine says with a smile.

“Keith…call me Keith. Now, why is Natalie a horrible suitemate?” Keith wonders, pulling his notepad and pen out.

Christine scoffs. “Oh boy…where do I start? She and Morgan watch  _ Family Feud _ each night with the volume at two hundred. They stay up ‘till like seven in the morning screaming about classes! There’s a bathroom separating us and yet they’re still getting through the walls! They dump stuff in the bathroom that makes it smell then blames it on my roommate and me. They’re always in the bathroom doing who knows what, and they take long-ass showers! Salix had to wait two hours just to take a shower once!”

“Salix?” Keith raises an eyebrow and stops writing.

“Oh, sorry, she’s my roommate - Salix Sampson,” Christine says. “Um…what else?”

“I remember we were in The Rock once and she and Morgan gave you and Salix this death glare,” Joe shares.

“Oh yeah!” Christine nods. “That happens a lot. Whether we’re in class or The Rock, they always glare at me.”

Keith taps the top of his pen to his lip. “So, you two must’ve not been that close.”

“Hah! That’s an understatement!” Christine exclaims, leaning back against her chair.

Keith chuckles. “Right.” He looks back at Joe. “Now, you said you were in Sigma Pi? Did you see Natalie on the night she went missing?”

“Uh, yes. My brothers and I were hosting a pretty big one last night and Natalie was there since one of her other friends is in Sigma Pi. She was there, but I don’t remember much after the start. I was pretty drunk and…and yeah! It started at Sigma Pi then ended at Pike…” Joe trails off. “I have no idea how though.”

Keith nods then shuts his notepad. “Right, well, I’m gonna need the names of the Pike brothers that were at the party - actually the names of anyone who was at the party.” He looks Joe in the eye. “You  _ do _ keep track of that, right?”

“Yeah! Yes - at least my frat does…Pike doesn’t really play by the rules.” Joe shakes his head. “Never mind - yes, I’ll get you that list as soon as possible. I’ll also send you the original invite list as well.”

Keith nods and hands him and Christine his card. “If you find out anything else or need anything, call or text me, alright?”

“Of course…thank you Agent Ko - I mean Keith,” Joe corrects himself with a smile. “I have to make a phone call, excuse me.” Joe stands up and pulls his phone out, dialing quickly.

“He was…interesting and nervous,” Keith comments, looking at Christine.

“I think he was just a bit intimidated, that’s all. He wants to become a cop after he graduates,” Christine shares.

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Really? So did I when I was his age. My mom was kidnapped when I was a kid.”

“Joe was in the foster system ‘till his grandma took him in. He-” Christine starts, but her phone rings. She looks at it and groans. “I’m sorry - it’s my sister. I have to go.”

Keith stands up. “Not a problem. Thank you for talking with me…it was very helpful.” He shakes her hand before walking over to where Ezor is. Philip and Morgan walk away from Ezor as Keith approaches her. “Well?”

Ezor rolls her eyes. “They’re quite the pair! Philip’s been Natalie’s boyfriend since they were juniors in high school, and she’s got him wrapped around her finger. He’s a pushover who didn’t want her going to that party but was too afraid to stop her.”

“Not surprised,” Keith replies, straightening his tie. “What about Morgan?”

Ezor scoffs. “Grade A bitch, but obviously that can’t be the official statement. She’s condescending and I hate her attitude. She knows more than she’s letting up, but that’s a problem for after we get all the equations. Anyway, what about Christine and Joe?”

“Christine hates Natalie - you can read about it in my notepad - and Joe was at the party Natalie went to before she was raped and killed,” Keith shares, showing Ezor his notes. “He’s gonna send over a list of people who were at the party.”

Ezor takes the notepad from him to read while Keith pulls out his phone when it buzzes.

 

_ Hunk: _ _ You and Ezor should head back to the station. Lance and I found some interesting things at the morgue. _

 

_ Keith: _ _ what’d you find? _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ It’s best if you come…this is something you have to hear in person. _

 

_ Keith: _ _ on our way _

 

Keith looks at Ezor. “Hunk and Lance found something at the morgue. We should head back and share with them what we found.”

Ezor hands Keith his notepad back. “Definitely…and none of those comments surprise me. Morgan was a nightmare…I can only imagine what Natalie was like.”

Keith chuckles as they get in the car and drive back to the station. If Lance were with him, Keith couldn’t be making these kinds of comments. Lance would want to look at the deeper meaning behind their actions, but sometimes things are just the way they are! Is it  _ really _ necessary to complicate things?!

Okay, sure he was right in Keith’s PTSD, but that’s beside the point. And  _ sure _ , his profiles on the murderers they’ve been dealing with all have been correct, but that’s also besides-

Alright, Lance  _ is _ a good agent and a great partner, but that changes nothing!

Keith pulls up to the station and gets out of the car with Ezor. They walk inside together and find Shiro, Hunk, Lance, and Pidge in the meeting room. Lance is at the whiteboard, writing some things under where Natalie was found. Hunk smiles at Ezor and Keith when they walk in. “Hey guys!” he greets.

Keith walks over and takes a seat next to him, fist bumping him in the process. “Alright, so, what did you guys find out at the morgue?”

“Shay said there was bruising around her ankles and wrists from a cloth-type rope thing used in BDSM,” Hunk shares.

“So, she had consensual sex before she was killed?” Keith asks. “Then why were we told she was raped?”

“There were two different traces of semen found,” Lance says, turning away from the board. “Cause of death was strangulation with a thin piece of rope or string.”

“Shoelace?” Keith suggests, lifting up the medical report to look at it.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Lance agrees. “Anyway, what did you and Ezor find?” Keith pulls out his notepad and slides it over to Lance. “Alright, so Christine Rogers…” Lance writes her name on the board and Keith’s notes on her statement on Natalie. “I see she isn’t too upset Natalie’s gone. I don’t blame her though.” Lance furrows his eyebrows. “Joe Kilcherman? He was at the party? Does he know anything?”

“Apparently, he was too drunk,” Ezor says, “but he’s getting us a list of people who were at and who was invited to Sigma Pi’s party. The interesting part is Philip Knott and Morgan Scussel. Philip has been dating Natalie since they were juniors in high school and Morgan is Natalie’s best friend and roommate.”

Lance quickly turns to the board and erases Philip’s name from the family/friend side of the board and moves his name to the suspect side. “Was he at the party?”

“If he was, he could be our killer,” Keith says

Ezor shakes her head no. “He’s too timid. When I talked to him, he seemed genuinely upset about Natalie’s death.”

“No, Keith’s right. Judging by Christine’s complaints on Natalie, she needs someone who’s just as assertive as her or more. If she was the one tied up, that shows she needs someone to overpower her,” Lance explains. “So, either Philip is playing an act or Natalie was cheating on him.”

“Oh…I see. That gives Philip motive either way!” Ezor exclaims.

Lance nods then looks at Keith. “We should ask Joe if Philip was at the party. If he wasn’t, we’ll need him to provide an alibi.”

Keith internally groans, not wanting to deal with Lance right now, but he also doesn’t want to make a scene so he simply nods and walks out of the room. He takes his phone out of his pocket when he gets a text from an unknown number.

 

_ Unknown: _ _ hey agent Keith! It’s Joe! I have the invite list - it’s the attachment after this text - but there’s something odd about it…I think you should come take a look at it. My room number is Brophy Terrace 36 _

 

_ Keith: _ _ alright. where should i meet you? _

 

_ Joe: _ _ i’ll meet you in the lobby of Brophy! It’s on the opposite end of campus from where I met you earlier! _

 

Keith forwards the attached list to Pidge as he arrives at the car. He reaches for the door handle, but someone grabs his arm and turns him around. Lance gives him a firm expression. “You can’t ignore me forever.”

Keith pulls his arm away from Lance and opens the car door. “Joe sent me a text and told me there’s something weird with the list of people who attended the party. I-”

Lance takes Keith’s phone out of his hand and looks him in the eye. “Keith, what’s wrong?”

“Drop it, Lance. Now’s not the time,” Keith snarls, snatching his phone back and getting into the driver’s seat.

Once Lance gets in the car, Keith drives them back to the university and parks them near the resident hall. They walk inside and find Joe in the lobby talking with Christine and another guy Keith doesn’t recognize. He’s skinny, slightly taller than Christine, and has vivid red hair. Joe spots Lance and Keith and waves them over. “Hey! This is my roommate, Daniel Stewart,” Joe introduces. “Dan, this is Agent Keith.”

Keith shakes Dan’s hand. “Nice to meet you. This is my…associate, Doctor Lance McClain.” He side eyes Lance with an unamused expression on his face.

Joe coughs. “Right! Well, our room is right this way.” He leads Keith and Lance down the hall to a set of doors where a key card is needed to get through. Joe pulls out his student ID and swipes it, the red-light indicator turning green. Christine opens the door and everyone walks through. They arrive at Joe’s and Dan’s room and Joe unlocks the door to reveal a decently sized room. Keith steps inside and sees the two beds bunked in the far-right corner of the room and a sink on the left corner of the room closest to the door. The two dressers are pushed on the wall on the same side of the sink with a TV placed in the middle. A PS4 sits on one side of the TV while a Wii U is on the other. A black futon and a beanbag chair sit in front of it on a grey carpet. Keith sees a door slightly open across the room near the beds revealing a walk-in closet.

“I have the list over here,” Joe says, walking over to the desks that are up against the other wall opposite the TV. He takes a seat at one of the desks while Keith pulls up the chair from the other one to look at one of the lists of papers.

Lance steps aside to let Dan and Christine in and to watch what they immediately start doing. Dan picks up one of the PS4 controllers and begins playing a game while Christine plops down on the beanbag chair and pulls her laptop out of her bag. Keith begins flipping through the names on the list and the time markings next to the names. “It was smart of you to keep track of when people came,” Keith comments.

“Thank you! We thought it would be a good idea to keep track of how long people stayed at parties and how many drinks they’ve had since they got to the party,” Joe shares. “We don’t want anyone getting too drunk and having too many drinks at once.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and sets it on his desk. “We also don’t want people just showing up for free booze.”

Keith nods and opens his mouth to ask something else, but Lance speaks before he can. “So, whose anime posters are these? I don’t think I recognize it.”

Joe chuckles. “Those would be Dan’s. He’s a huge weeb.”

“Hey! Don’t judge!” Dan exclaims from the futon. “It’s from Fullmetal Alchemist.”

Lance nods. “Nice, okay.” He looks at Christine’s laptop and chuckles. “I like the Dunder Mifflin sticker you’ve got on your laptop there.”

Christine looks up at him. “Oh, thank you! I love  _ The Office _ so I had to put it on here. I like watching it on the TV in my room, but most of the time I can’t hear it because of stupid Morgan and Natalie.”

“Why’s that?” Lance wonders, leaning against the wall.

“Well, when they’re not blasting  _ Family Feud _ , Natalie’s having sex with her stupid boyfriend or Morgan is,” Christine shares with a disgusted expression.

“They both have sex with Philip?” Lance wonders, earning a muffled laugh out of Dan.

“No, no - separate people. Though, it wouldn’t surprise me if they had foursomes,” Christine says.  “Honestly, it’s mainly Natalie so I have no idea how Morgan deals with her shit. Out of the two of them, Natalie’s the messier and bitchier one.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows and flips through the list of names again. “Wait, where’s the rest? This stops after eleven forty-five.”

“Yeah…after most of my brothers got tired, the party moved over to Pike around eleven fifteen, but they stopped keeping track of people coming and leaving thirty minutes later,” Joe says.

“Okay, well, I don’t see Philip’s name on either of these lists. Obviously, he didn’t come to the Sigma Pi party, but did you see him at the Pike party?” Keith asks Joe.

Joe shakes his head no. “I hate going over to Pike because the house is usually really dirty. Even if he did show up later, I wouldn't have seen him.”

“Christine, could Keith and I take a look at your dorm room and your suitemates’ room?” Lance asks.

Christine nods and puts her laptop away, waving goodbye to Joe and Dan. “May I keep these?” Keith asks Joe.

“Yeah, of course,” Joe agrees.

Keith nods in thanks then follows her and Lance to Christine’s dorm room. She opens the door and they see Morgan in the bathroom, frantically looking around for something. Morgan sees them and proceeds to slam the door shut. Lance and Keith look at Christine who simply responds with a shrug. Keith walks over and knocks but stops when he hears the door also slam on the other side. He opens the door and walks over to the far one, pounding on it.

“Morgan, open up,” Keith orders.

“No! You have no right to snoop through Natalie’s things!” Morgan exclaims.

“I will arrest you for obstruction of justice, Morgan Scussel. Open the door, now,” Keith demands.

Morgan forcefully opens the door, clearly upset. She has red, puffy eyes and tear streaks down her cheeks. Lance furrows his eyebrows. “Morgan, what’s wrong?”

Keith moves past them and looks around the room in disgust at the mess. He walks back over to Lance, reaching in his pocket to pull out a pair of latex gloves. Morgan’s eyes flicker down to the motion, but back up at Lance. “I-I can’t find my class ring! My mom will kill me if I lost it.”

“Okay, where did you last see it?” Lance asks as Keith looks around the room.

“Um…last night when I went to the-” Morgan’s breath hitches and she stops talking immediately.

Keith turns around and looks at her with wide eyes. “Where? You didn’t finish.”

Morgan shakes her head no, more tears streaming down her cheeks. Keith opens his mouth to yell at her some more, but he stops when he notices something under one of the covers on one of the beds. He lifts up the covers to reveal a rolled-up line of pink silk rope. Parts of it are worn down from repeated use. “What’s this, Morgan? Hmm? What’s this?!”

Morgan shakes her head no again. “I dunno.”

“I’ll say it again, tell me what I wanna know or I’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice,” Keith states.

“That’s Natalie’s bed,” Christine says from the bathroom doorway.

“Shut  _ up _ Christine!” Morgan snarls.

Keith snaps his fingers at Morgan. “Hey, that’s enough.”

“Christine, do you know if Natalie uses this rope with Philip?” Lance asks. “Does she tie him up with it?”

“I can’t answer that for sure, but I know he bought it for her,” Christine replies.

“Did Natalie use this the night before the party?” Keith asks Morgan.

Morgan glares at Keith and keeps her mouth shut, refusing to speak. “Oh, come on! Tell the truth, Morgan! They’re gonna figure it out sooner or later!” Christine exclaims when Morgan says nothing.

“Shut up, bitch! You hated Natalie! You’re not her friend and you’re not mine either!” Morgan yells.

Keith rips off one of the latex gloves and pulls out his phone. “That’s it…you’re coming with me.” He dials Shay and tosses Lance his handcuffs, gesturing to Morgan.

“Hey Keith!” Shay exclaims.

“Hey Shay, I need you to come down to the dorms and do a full sweep of Natalie’s and Morgan’s dorm room,” Keith says. “I found rope that could have been used on Natalie.”

“Alright, I’ll be over right away!” Shay exclaims.

“Thanks, Shay,” Keith says before hanging up. He sends a quick text to Hunk telling him they’re bringing in someone to interview.

“You can’t do this! It’s illegal!” Morgan exclaims as Lance puts Keith’s handcuffs on her.

Keith gives her an unamused expression as he dials Allura. “Hey Allura, I need a search warrant for Natalie Kessler’s dorm room.”

 

* * *

 

Keith opens the interrogation room door, allowing Lance to walk through and sit down before he slams the door shut. Morgan looks at him with a terrified expression as Keith slams a file down on the table. “Alright Morgan, now that we’re in a more sophisticated setting…why don’t you tell us a bit more about the night in question?”

Morgan clenches her jaw and shakes her head no, refusing to say anything. Keith sighs and turns to Lance, saying “If I say one more word to her without a response, I’m gonna punch a wall.”

“Okay.” Lance pats his shoulder. “That’s not necessary. Besides, we don’t need her to speak…we have enough puzzle pieces to start putting together the picture.” He clears his throat and takes the file from Keith. “On the invite list Joe sent us, we found your name.”

Keith nods. “So, you went to the party and took Natalie with you since her name was on the check-in list. You two got separated during the night and once the party moved over to Pike, you saw her go down into the alleged  _ soundproof room _ . Now that she’s dead, you feel responsible for it so you don’t wanna say anything now.” He leans back with a smug expression.

“You feel torn because you know who did it and don’t want to betray them, but also feel equally as guilty for what happened to Natalie,” Lance finishes. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to get on anyone’s bad side either.”

Morgan sighs in frustration. “No! Ugh! Okay, no. I wanted to go to the party, but my stupid chem lab partner forced me to work on our dumb project together instead.” She rolls her eyes in annoyance.

Lance closes the file as Keith pulls out his notepad. “What time was this at?” Lance wonders.

“The party started at ten, but since my name was on the list I could get there at like nine. So, it was seven thirty when I started getting ready then my dumbass lab partner, Valerie, shows up at my door, screaming at me for not doing anything on out project” Morgan exclaims. “Sure, it was due on Monday, but I planned on starting my half Sunday night! That wasn’t enough for her though! We got into this  _ huge _ argument about it, but I finally gave in after she threatened to tell the professor I came in drunk during the midterm exam.”

Keith chuckles, but immediately stops when Lance gives him a side glare. “Sorry, not funny. Okay, so is that why your name wasn’t on the check-in list?”

Morgan nods. “Yeah…Natalie went in my place so that’s why her name was on the check-in list. My boyfriend is in Alpha Phi Alpha so that’s why I was on the original invite list. She asked me after I told her I wouldn’t be in the room for the rest of the night because of the project.”

“What’s your boyfriend’s name?” Keith wonders.

“Blake Richard,” Morgan answers. “He’s a real sweetheart and on a soccer scholarship!” She smiles widely. “Anyway, when I left the room, Natalie was on the phone with Philip. About an hour later around like eight or eight forty-five, I came back because I forgot a folder, and I found Philip tying Natalie up to her bed using the pink rope you found.”

Keith blinks in confusion and looks up at Morgan. “Hold on, when Agent Parisi interviewed you and him, he acted like a timid pushover.”

Morgan chuckles. “Yeah, uh, that’s what he does when he could get in trouble. In reality, he’s this conceded douchebag who pushes Natalie around, and they constantly fight with each other. The only time they don’t fight is when they’re…mmm… _ doing it _ .”

“That’s not a healthy relationship,” Lance comments.

“Judging by Christine’s opinion on Natalie, she seemed like a nightmare too. How is it that they haven’t killed each other - oh.” Keith crosses his arms.

Lance looks at Keith then back at Morgan. “Has Philip ever threatened Natalie?”

Morgan shrugs. “Probably, but I try to stay out of their couple disputes. If that is true, Natalie would be equally as guilty. When those two go at it…they go at it.” She scratches her head. “I think that’s why they’ve had a ton of sex. You know to get out their frustrations!”

“Well, there was a study that-” Lance starts

“Nope - stop it, Lance.” Keith sighs and shakes his head. “Anyway, that doesn’t explain why Natalie was last seen at Pike.”

“Well, I know sober Natalie hates Pike since Philip didn’t make it in there,” Morgan shares. “However, drunk Natalie is a  _ whole _ different person.”

“Alright, so perhaps Natalie got too drunk and made out with someone which led to something more. Philip shows up later and sees this then kills her out of jealousy. I have to start compiling my profile on Philip…excuse me.” Lance stands up, collecting his things.

“I dunno if this is important, but Philip has a buddy in Pike who has been trying to make a move on Natalie,” Morgan says as Lance approaches the door.

“A buddy?” Keith wonders with a raised eyebrow. Lance pauses to hear what she has to say.

“Douchebags tend to run in groups continuing to fight to see who the alpha douchebag is,” Morgan clarifies. She blinks a few times then smirks at Keith’s confused expression. “Football jocks.”

“Oh! You know, it makes sense. I actually played in high school,” Keith shares, leaning back. The door shuts, signaling that Lance had left.

“Really? Aren’t you a little small to be a football player?” Morgan asks.

“That’s exactly what my coach said! Then he saw how fast I could run and next thing I knew I was the starting wide receiver,” Keith says. “However, baseball was my real passion. I-”

Someone knocks on the one-way glass from the other side, probably telling Keith to wrap it up. “Right, okay. Do you have anything helpful on where Philip is right now?”

“His math class gets out at five,” Morgan shares. “You can catch him after then.”

Keith checks his watch which reads 4:12 PM, concluding they have a little over forty-five minutes before they should go bring Philip in. He nods and stands up. “Thanks Morgan, you’ve been a huge help.”

“So, am I free to go?” Morgan asks hopefully.

“Yes, you are. An officer will bring you back to the university,” Keith replies. “And about your class ring-”

Morgan holds her hand in front of her, revealing the ring. “Yeah, I wasn’t looking for my ring. I took a pregnancy test, but it was a false positive.” She giggles at Keith’s annoyed expression.

“Okay, come on, let’s go,” Keith says, motioning towards the door. “Time to go.” He shows her out and waves an officer over. “You have Ezor’s card still, right?” Morgan nods. “Good. Call or text her if anything comes up, alright? Bye Morgan.”

Morgan giggles again and waves to Keith. “Bye Agent Keith.”

Keith watches Morgan leave with the officer then heads into the meeting room where Lance and Ezor are in a deep argument about whether or not Philip has the capabilities of being a murderer. Lance believes he does while Ezor isn’t having it. “Ezor, you can’t ignore the facts and my profile on him!” Lance exclaims.

“Oh, please! What evidence do you even have?! It’s all speculation!” Ezor exclaims.

“Philip has motive.” He points at the whiteboard under Philip’s motive section. “Morgan told us that one of Philip’s friends in Pike had a thing for Natalie and had been trying to make a move on her for a while. Natalie went to that party and ended up at Pike so it’s possible he made a move on her there then Philip shows up, sees this happening, and kills Natalie out of jealousy.”

“How do we know it’s not the friend who’s guilty? What if Natalie resisted?” Ezor wonders.

Lance shrugs. “Again, noted in my notebook on the table, but that’s slim based on what I’ve gathered for Natalie’s profile. She loves attention and if someone gave that to her, I highly doubt she would push it away.” He moves his finger to the behavior section. “Your initial interview with Philip showed him as a timid pushover, but Morgan contradicted it and told us that was an act he does when he thinks he’s gonna get in trouble. In reality, he’s a-”

“-conceded asswagon,” Keith finishes.

“Not how I would’ve put it,” Lance says, crossing his arms. “Keith, you’re with me on this, right?”

“I mean, yeah. It’s what makes the most sense right now. He had the means to because of that rope we found in Natalie’s bedroom,” Keith replies. “He’s also a football player so he could easily overpower her.”

Ezor laughs dryly from her seat. “Yeah right! Did Morgan tell you this? I don’t trust her.”

“She has nothing to gain from lying to us,” Lance states, writing down that Philip’s a football player.

“No, don’t write that down! Philip is too small to be a football player,” Ezor says. “I’m calling bullshit on that. My older brother played in high school and college and he’s huge!”

Keith crosses his arms. “I played in high school.”

Ezor laughs again. “No way. I don’t believe you for a second. That little story you told Morgan was just a lie.”

“Really?” Keith pulls out his phone and finds a folder of pictures from his senior year on the football team. He hands the phone to her once he gets what he’s looking for. “Scroll through that.”

Ezor takes the phone from him and looks at the picture of eighteen-year-old Keith catching a football in the end zone for a touchdown. She continues scrolling through before stopping on a picture of Keith facing away from the camera, approaching their kicker who tied the game up. Ezor looks closely at it then looks at Keith’s butt, earning a confused expression from both Keith and Lance. “What - what are you looking at?!” Keith demands.

She ignores him and looks back at the picture for a second before handing the phone back to him. “Alright, I’m convinced. You’ve got the ass for it.”

Pidge coughs, spitting her water all over the table. Hunk groans in disgust at the water on the tablet he was using. He glares at her before wiping it off with his sleeve. “Why the hell would you say that?!” Pidge demands. “I could have  _ died _ !”

Keith huffs and narrows his eyes at Ezor. “You better watch yourself. I’m armed with four different knives and I’m not afraid to use them.”

Ezor opens her mouth to retort, but Lance shakes his head and says, “No. We’re not gonna challenge Keith on that because it’s true and he has an unhealthy obsession with knives. Don’t antagonize him.” He looks back at the whiteboard. “Back to Philip! Now, if the rope is a match to the marks and fabrics found in the bruising on Natalie’s wrist and ankles-”

“It is,” Pidge interjects. “Sorry, Shay just send the results of the test over.”

“Excellent! One of the traces of semen should match Philip’s then. We should get a swab of his DNA to match it since Shay couldn’t find a match in the system.” Lance turns to Keith. “Did Morgan share anything else about Philip?”

“His math class gets out in fifteen minutes,” Keith shares. “We can pick him up then.”

“Wait, okay, why are we focusing on the boyfriend? The police said Pike was behind this,” Hunk says.

“We don’t have enough evidence to prove that Pike was even involved in this. The previous allegations against them didn’t match what was done this time,” Lance counters.

“But the murder happened  _ at _ Pike’s frat house!” Pidge exclaims.

“Forensic countermeasure,” Lance, Keith, and Ezor say simultaneously.

Hunk and Pidge blink in astonishment. “Um, okay…well Pidge and I are gonna continue looking into Pike because, from Keith’s notes from Joe, Pike still seems like a shady place. Maybe they’re selling drugs or something like that,” Hunk says slowly.

“Run a background check on Philip as well,” Shiro says, suddenly in the doorway. “Ezor, you and Hunk will head to Pike once he and Pidge find anything that could put them under investigation. We need a reason to search the house. If we find that soundproof room, we could place Natalie down there.” He looks at Lance and Keith. “You two go arrest Philip now.”

“But we don’t have a full profile on-” Lance starts.

“I don’t care,” Shiro interrupts. “I want him in custody - make up something if you have to.”

“Shiro, we have-” Lance tries.

“Not another word. Go now.” Shiro walks out.

Keith and Lance exchange a confused expression before walking out of the room and heading to the car. They get in and Keith turns the car on. “I wonder why he wouldn’t let us finish the profile.”

Lance simply shrugs and crosses his arms. “It’s moments like this that make me wonder why Shiro even wanted me to come in the first place. Most of the time he doesn’t even care about my profiles.” He clenches his jaw and looks out the window as Keith pulls out of the parking lot. “What do I even bring to the team? Maybe him bringing Ezor in means I’m getting replaced so you guys don’t need me anymore.”

“Lance, stop it,” Keith scolds. “You’re being ridiculous. You’re a valuable asset to this team and I’d rather give up my own life than lose you as a partner.”

Lance turns and looks at him. “So, we’re on speaking terms now?”

Keith rolls his eyes. “I was only mad because you didn’t tell me about the teaching job, but now I’m starting to see why you didn’t. You obviously didn’t like the fact that Shiro went behind your back and got you this job while also bringing a new agent to the team so I’d have someone to go out into the field with. I should’ve been more considerate of your feelings.”

“No, Keith, your frustration was justified. We’re partners and I should’ve been honest with you from the start.” Lance turns to Keith when they reach a stoplight. “Let’s make a pact to not keep secrets from each other anymore, okay?” He holds out his hand for Keith to shake.

Keith looks at Lance’s hand then up to his eyes. He thinks back to his and Pidge’s agreement to investigate Matt Holt’s and Krolia Kogane’s case files in secret. If Keith told Lance about it, he’d shut it down immediately and probably tell Shiro what they did. Well, then again Lance doesn’t seem to be too happy with Shiro right now so maybe he wouldn’t. Keith should talk to Pidge about it before he makes any decision right now.

With a heavy heart and guilt telling him he’s a horrible person, Keith nods and shakes Lance’s hand. “Okay.”

The light turns green and Keith pulls into the school, parking as close to the math building as they can. They walk inside the math building to find classes getting out. Keith and Lance look around for any sign of Philip. Most of these kids look like they’d rather be anywhere else than here. Keith watches a couple of students pull their phones out and say they want to go home because they failed their exam.

“Yeah, this is reminding me why I hated college,” Keith says with a grimace.

“Really? Did you do what those kids were doing?” Lance wonders.

Keith shakes his head no. “I didn’t have anyone to call even if I wanted to. I did well and didn’t fail anything. I had a baseball scholarship so I guess it didn’t matter if I failed. They’d figure out some way to keep me on the team since that’s what they did for some of my teammates.”

Lance nods. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s normal for coaches to care more about their players’ ability to play versus their grades. All of them claim that education is more important, but, when it comes down to it, they’ll pick the brawn over brains.”

“I’m obviously the brawn in our partnership,” Keith comments with a smirk.

Lance chuckles. “Mmm…I think you’re forgetting I was a trained sniper in the army for two years. You’d be surprised at what I can do.”

“Speaking of which, how the hell did you get your degree while being in the army? I still don’t understand that,” Keith says.

“I graduated early,” Lance shares. “Have I not told you any of this?”

Keith shakes his head no. “I’ve asked a few times, but you never told me.”

“Hmm, well, maybe you’ll hear my story at the special birthday thing you’re planning for Friday,” Lance says with a smirk.

_ SHIT _

“Right! Totally! Because that’s totally happening!” Keith exclaims.

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

“What?! No!”

“Keith.”

“I’m serious!”

“Do you take me for a fool?”

“I’m not having this discussion right now.” Keith looks away from Lance when he sees Philip walking out of one of the classrooms with a couple other guys. “Look, there he is.” He motions for Lance to follow him.

As Keith and Lance get closer, Keith sees Philip take some money from one of the guys and slip him a small bag of white powder out of his pocket. Keith lightly smacks Lance’s arm. “He’s dealing drugs!”

“Well, Shiro got what he wanted,” Lance comments. “Would you like the honors?”

“Lance, it’d be my genuine pleasure,” Keith replies with a smile. He begins walking towards Philip, but once he sees Keith, he takes off running in the opposite direction. “Finally, something  _ fun _ .”

Keith takes off running after Philip, watching as he shoves people out of his way. He knocks over a couple of them, causing them to drop their books. When the students see Keith running after Philip, they immediately move out of his way. It’s been a while since Keith’s felt this rush during the job. Their past couple cases after Lance and Pidge were buried alive didn’t have that danger factor Keith likes. Sure, he helped a lot of people, but Keith likes the chasing bad guys part of the job. He likes breaking in and taking down the bad people. He likes getting his hands dirty in fights.

He breaks out of his thoughts when he sees Philip take a sharp left turn down one of the hallways, wiping out on some water on the floor then slamming into the wall in the process. Keith expects him to stay down, but Philip surprises him by getting up off the ground and making another break for the exit doors at the end of the hall. Keith comes up to the water, but his old baseball skills kick in and he easily slides across the water without losing momentum, like he would when sliding onto a base, and resumes running after Philip.

Philip bursts through the exit doors and makes a beeline for the building straight ahead, but Keith reaches him in time and tackles him onto the grass. They struggle with each other for a bit, Philip attempting to punch Keith in the face, but Keith blocks all of his blows. Keith seizes both of Philip’s wrists and pins him to the ground.

“Get off me! Leave me alone! You have no right to do this!” Philip yells.

“Actually, Philip, I do.” Keith pulls three more bags of white powder out of his pocket. “Did you decide to go into the drug business after you raped and murdered your girlfriend?”

“What?! I didn’t do either of that!” Philip exclaims.

Keith pulls Philip to his feet and pulls his handcuffs out. “I have a hard time believing that, douchebag.”

“Keith, as much as I agree with you, you can’t call the suspects ‘douchebags’,” Lance says.

“Ouch! Not so tight!” Philip whines when Keith puts the cuffs on him.

“I thought you liked it rough? Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing sexual about these handcuffs, perv,” Keith says. “Philip Knott, you are under arrest for the rape and murder of Natalie Kessler. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.”

“This is mutiny!” Philip yells. “I didn’t kill anyone!”

Keith and Lance exchange a knowing expression. “Hmm, where have I heard that before?” Keith thinks out loud. “Oh, right, from every guilty person ever!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Let me out of here!” Philip yells, handcuffed to the table in the interrogation room. “I didn’t do anything wrong!” He groans and struggles against the cuffs for a second. “There wasn’t any weed in the bag! It was protein stuff to put in water!” He sighs dramatically. “Hello?! Anyone! I have to pee!” He turns and looks at the mirror in the room. “I know someone’s watching through that mirror! Come on…these cuffs hurt!”

Ezor chuckles from beside Keith. “Wow…he’s a character. He’s probably one of the worst people I’ve ever come across in my life.”

“He’s on the calmer side of the spectrum from what I’ve seen,” Keith comments.

“Great, that makes me feel  _ sooo _ much better,” she retorts sarcastically.

Currently, she, Keith, Lance, and Shiro are watching Philip from behind the one-way glass in the observation room next to the interrogation room. So far, he’s doing exactly what Lance predicted: complaining.

“Alright, I want Ezor and I to go in and talk to him,” Shiro finally says.

Keith blinks in confusion and turns to him. “Excuse me? You’re going to interrogate a suspect with an inexperienced agent? Look, I don’t know why you keep benching me - not sure what I did to piss you off, but this is ridiculous. You know Lance and I are the ones who deserve to go in there.” He winces and looks at Ezor. “No offense.”

“None taken. Those are some ballsy words, Kogane,” Ezor says with a smile. “I respect that, but I don’t think Shiro does.”

Shiro crosses his arms. “She’s right - I don’t. As I said before, I’m not dealing with you right now, Keith. You can either stand in here and watch the interrogation or you can head to the hotel and take off early.”

Keith huffs angrily and shakes his head. “Whatever. It’s your funeral.” He storms out, brushing past Lance and going to where Hunk and Pidge are. Keith angrily sits down in one of the chairs and taps his finger on the table, clearly agitated.

Hunk stops typing on his laptop and looks at Keith. “Didn’t you bring in the boyfriend for questioning?”

“Yep.”

“Why aren’t you…ya know…interrogating him?” Hunk asks.

“Because Shiro currently has his head shoved so far up his ass that he lost all concept of common sense and logic!” Keith exclaims.

Pidge stifles a snicker. “So, what you’re saying is that he’s an asshat?” She smiles widely, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Keith clenches his fists and takes a deep breath. “Pidge, I appreciate the humor, but I’m really not in the mood right now.” He places his hands on the table and looks at her and Hunk. “Anyway, did you two find anything new on Pike?”

“Surprisingly no,” Hunk replies. “I mean some misdemeanor things like teepeeing other frats and dorms, but that’s it. I honestly thought there would be more. I dunno maybe this time Pike’s just the scapegoat.”

“I’m not so sure anymore,” Lance suddenly says from the doorway. “Philip didn’t do it.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Pidge asks, turning in her chair to look at him.

“Because he willingly gave his DNA sample when Ezor asked for it,” Lance says. “And he admitted to having sex with her before Natalie went to the party. Well, he didn’t mention the party, but the time lines up with what Morgan gave us. Shay will get a match for one of the traces of semen found on Natalie.”

Keith stands up and adds Philip’s statement onto the timeline when he said he and Natalie had sex. “Okay, so, she probably didn’t tell him she was going to the party.”

“Or, if she did, he didn’t know about it transferring over to Pike,” Lance suggests. “He knew Sigma Pi was having a party and knew Natalie was going in Morgan’s place. When Shiro brought up Pike, Philip told him and Ezor that he said Pike wasn’t throwing one since Sigma Pi already was.”

“Who told him that?” Hunk asks.

“Some guy named Shaun Bollinger,” Lance says. “The name wasn’t familiar and neither Shiro nor Ezor asked him who that was.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s a good thing I stayed for as long as I did.”

“Maybe it’s not familiar to you…” Hunk types something into his computer then nods after a couple seconds. “Yep, exactly what I thought. He’s one of the Pike brothers and is on the football team.” He and Pidge high five each other.

“Team Punk strikes again!” Pidge exclaims.

Keith rolls his eyes. “Focus! Could that be the buddy Morgan was talking about?”

“It’s possible, but there are a lot of Pike brothers on the football team,” Pidge replies. “I can see if any of the names match up with who was at the party the night Natalie was killed.”

Keith nods. “Yes, please.”

“Wait, should we run this by Shiro first?” Hunk asks.

“No,” Keith answers quickly. “If he wants to pursue Philip then that’s on him. We’ll keep Ezor in the loop if she asks, but Shiro can figure this out on his own. I’m done dealing with his bullshit on this case.”

Pidge and Hunk nod and begin getting to work. Lance walks up to Keith. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean it is a good idea, but you’re on thin ice with Shiro already.”

Keith waves Lance off. “He won’t fire me. I’m too good at my job.”

“Not to mention I wouldn’t let it happen,” Pidge pipes up.

“So, if we find matching names, does that mean you two are gonna raid Pike and start arresting people?” Hunk asks.

“As much fun as that sounds, no,” Keith replies. “I want that evidence so I can call Allura tomorrow to get us a warrant to search Pike’s frat house and to take DNA samples from the guys to run it against the second semen sample found on Natalie.”

“We should-” Lance starts but stops when Shiro and Ezor walk in the room.

Shiro raises an eyebrow at everyone. “We should what?”

“Oh, you’re here! I was gonna say we should go see if you and Ezor were done, but you obviously already are,” Lance easily lies.

“Yes, we are. Philip willingly gave us a DNA sample, but I still want to hold him here because of those drugs Keith found on him,” Shiro says. “He probably didn’t kill Natalie, but he’s still involved somehow.” He looks at the clock and sees it’s nearly 6:45 PM. “Well, I think that’s enough for today. I’ll see you all back here tomorrow morning at eight. Good work everyone!” He walks out of the room.

Pidge turns to Keith. “Hunk and I can finish running these lists in our hotel rooms. I’ll text you the results when I get them.”

“What results?” Ezor asks.

Keith stands up and walks up to her. “Pidge and you probably will have adjoining rooms at the hotel. She can tell you then.”

Pidge nods as she and Hunk pack up the electronics. “Shay told me our room is right across from Pidge’s,” Hunk says. “That makes things even easier.”

Everyone packs up their things and head out to the car to head to the hotel. Once they arrive, they get their room cards at the front desk and head up in the elevator with their luggage. They get off at the fifth floor and Hunk heads to where his and Shay’s room is. Pidge and Ezor follow since theirs are near. Keith looks at his card and sees the number 531 written on it which is on the opposite end of the hallway.

“Hey Keith! What room number do you have?” Lance asks.

“Five three one,” Keith replies. “What about you?”

“I’m five three three! We’ve got adjoining rooms too!” Lance exclaims with a smile.

“Perfect. I think Shiro’s room was five six two or something so he’s far away from us,” Keith says. They arrive at their rooms and scan the cards, allowing them inside. Keith sets his suitcase down on the bed and begins undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt but stops when he hears a knock on the door connecting his room to Lance’s. He tosses his tie onto one of the beds before walking over to open it, rolling his eyes when he sees Lance standing there with a wide smile on his face. “What do you want, Lance?”

“I’m too lazy to head down to the restaurant next to the lobby so I was gonna order some room service, do you want anything? It’s my treat,” Lance offers.

Keith finishes unbuttoning his shirt and tosses it on the bed near his tie, leaving him in his white tank. “Yeah, sure, I could eat. What were you thinking?”

Lance smiles widely. “Well, I saw on the menu there was this steak that sounded  _ amazing _ . I’m probably gonna get that.” He tosses Keith the menu then starts undoing his own tie. “Then again I could eat just about anything because I am  _ starving _ .”

Keith glances over the menu, deciding what he wants but stops when he sees Lance starting to unbutton his shirt. Unlike Keith, Lance does not have a tank on under his shirt. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Taking my shirt off, duh,” Lance replies, tossing it on the bed. He unzips his suitcase and pulls out a regular T-shirt and slips it on. “Why?”

Keith shakes his head, trying to get the image of Lance’s nicely toned abs out of his mind. “It looked like you were stripping. Please give me a warning next time.”

“Aww Keith, unlike you, I don’t have a side job as a stripper on weekends,” Lance teases.

“Still convinced I’m a stripper?” Keith wonders with a raised eyebrow, hopping on one of the beds in Lance’s room.

“You bet, Ruby Red,” Lance replies with a smirk. He picks up the phone. “So, what looked good?”

_ You without a shirt. _

Wait, what?

“Uh, the porkchops,” Keith says.

Lance nods and dials the room service number and begins placing the order, but Keith tunes him out, trying to figure out where that thought came from. Lance is his partner and he has a girlfriend. Thoughts like that cannot cross Keith’s mind.

Who knows what the consequences would be!

 

* * *

 

_ July 27 _

* * *

 

The following morning, Keith wakes up to the sunlight shining in his face. He blinks, trying to get his vision to focus then he notices he’s still in his clothes from last night. Keith looks around confused, not knowing where he is. On the desk to his left he sees Lance’s laptop and briefcase sitting there. As he sits up, he hears the shower turn off in the bathroom then jumps, startled when the door opens up. Lance walks out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist. He still has water dripping down his chest and arms, probably from his still damp hair.

“Lance! What the hell?!” Keith demands as Lance looks into his suitcase.

Lance screams, nearly jumping out of his skin. He grabs the towel so it doesn’t fall down then turns to look at Keith. “God, you scared the shit out of me! I thought you left!”

“Well, obviously I didn’t!” Keith retorts, getting off the bed. He groans and stretches, sighing in content when he hears his spine crack. “Why didn't you kick me out so I could sleep in my own room?”

Lance shrugs. “You looked peaceful so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Keith opens his mouth to reply, but his phone rings. He sees it plugged into the nightstand next to Lance’s. He lifts it up and sees it’s Shay calling. Keith presses accept and puts it on speaker. “Hey Shay. You’re on speaker with Lance and I.”

“Hey guys! I’ll make this quick - you two need to get down to the university as soon as possible. Two more bodies were found in the same place Natalie’s was dumped,” Shay shares.

“Same M.O.?” Lance asks, walking over to where Keith is.

Keith steps away when Lance’s wet shoulder brushes against his. “Dude!”

“Yes, Lance, it looks like the same everything, but we’re still doing our initial tests right now,” Shay says. “Please hurry over here.”

“You got it, thanks Shay,” Keith says before hanging up. “Okay, I’m gonna take the fastest shower of my life then we can head over.”

Lance nods. “Okay, I’ll wait for you to get done.”

Keith walks back into his room to grab some clothes from his suitcase then heads into his bathroom. He undoes his belt and takes off his tank top but pauses when he sees himself in the mirror, wincing slightly at the scars scattered on his chest and abdomen. Some of them were from his childhood in the foster homes he was at, but the recent ones have been from fighting with suspects and when Haxus set off that bomb. The shrapnel pierced through Keith’s skin which left deep marks in him. He used to not care about his appearance since it never really seemed important to him, but nowadays he’s become more aware of how many blemishes and marks he has on his skin. The scar on his cheek from when he and Lance arrested the Snake has thankfully vanished, but who knows if Keith will ever get another one or if he’ll get a deeper gash that will leave a more noticeable scar.

He shakes his head, turning away from the mirror and takes his pants and boxers off before getting in the shower to turn the water on. Keith quickly washes his hair and body, moving like the wind. He shuts the water off and grabs a towel to dry himself off. Once dry, Keith puts on the new set of clothes which consist of a pair of black pants, a white button up shirt with a white tank to go underneath it, and a black tie. He uses the towel to dry off his hair again but groans in annoyance when it refuses to stay flat.

“Screw it,” Keith mutters to himself, grabbing a hair tie from the little bag he has for his toothbrush and toothpaste and pulls his hair into a low ponytail. He brushes his teeth then walks out in the main area to put his shoes on.

Lance finishes putting on his belt and turns to look at Keith. “That was a fast shower - wait, why is your hair in a ponytail?”

“Because it wouldn’t sit flat so you’re just gonna have to deal with my luscious stripper hair being pulled back instead of flowing in the wind,” Keith retorts as he shoves his dirty clothes into one of the bags the hotel provides. He puts the bag and his suitcase in the corner of the room. Keith turns and goes to walk into Lance’s room, but they run into each other instead.

Keith huffs in annoyance. “Stop being in the way!”

“Maybe you should watch where you’re going, Ruby Red,” Lance comments, reaching for Keith’s tie to fix it. “Alright, now that you look presentable, let’s go.” He hands Keith his phone and handcuffs before leading him out the door.

They make their way to the lobby where Pidge is on one of her tablets and Ezor is sitting, drinking coffee. Pidge immediately stands up when she sees them. “Took you guys long enough, jeez. Let’s go!”

Ezor chuckles when she stands up, finally getting a good look at Keith. “Nice ponytail. It’s a good look on you.”

“I’m not sure if you’re being sarcastic or serious,” Keith replies.

“A bit of both,” Ezor says. “If it gets any longer I could braid it.”

“Oh, believe me, it’s long enough for a braid. I French braided it once because he got so annoyed by it he was gonna use scissors to solve the problem,” Pidge says, skipping over to the car. “Shotgun!”

“What! No fair!” Lance exclaims. “Keith’s  _ my _ partner!”

Keith shrugs. “You snooze you lose.”

“Is his hair soft?” Ezor asks as she gets in the seat behind Pidge.

“Like a fluffy blanket of silk,” Pidge replies.

“I’m already jealous!” Ezor exclaims.

Lance gets in the back seat behind Keith, clearly unhappy. “This is the worst. I’m getting flashbacks to my childhood.”

“Blah, blah, blah.” Pidge turns and glares at Lance. “Deal with it, buddy.”

Keith pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road. “So, Pidge, did you and Hunk get any matches between the two lists?”

“Yeah, but there were a lot of names so I don’t think there’s gonna be anything helpful right now. I wanna wait for when we get the list of the people who were at the party that happened last night,” Pidge says.

“That’s a good plan because it’ll narrow down our search,” Lance says.

Keith tunes their conversation out to focus on driving and eventually they arrive at the school. He parks the car near the frat house, but he can’t get too close because of a large crowd that has accumulated. The police have set up caution tape around the dumpster site and the frat house to keep people away. He puts the car in park and everyone gets out. Keith looks at the crowd to see if he spots Morgan, Christine, Joe, or even Dan in the gathered crowd. After a few seconds he gives up and follows Ezor, Lance, and Pidge over to where a police officer is standing by the tape. Ezor shows her badge to the officer and he lifts the tape up for her, Lance, Pidge, and Keith to walk under.

They head over to the dumpster where Shay and the other medical examiners are looking at the bodies. Keith winces when he sees the bruises and dirt on them. One of the girls who has pale skin and red hair is wearing a skirt that looks torn and her tights have holes in them near the inner thighs. The other girl who has dark skin and wavy black hair is wearing a shirt that is torn down the middle, exposing her chest and has a ripped zipper on her pants. Both girls have bruises on their ankles and wrists, similar to Natalie’s, but look more painful. They also have bruising around their necks, signaling death by strangulation.

“This is barbaric,” Keith comments, disgusted. “Were they strangled like Natalie was?”

“You said it,” Ezor agrees. “Shay, do you have IDs for us?”

Keith pulls out his notepad and waits for Shay to answer. “Yes, they died by strangulation and no I don’t have IDs. That’s why I wanted Pidge here.”

Pidge smirks smugly. “I’m good like that.” She proceeds to take a picture of each girl’s face and runs them against pictures of students when they took their ID card photos. Her tablet buzzes a few seconds later, signaling she got a hit on both girls. “Okay, their names are McKenzie Pierre and Carly Marrow. McKenzie is the redhead.”

Lance scratches his chin. “They went over racial boundaries so they don’t have a preference. Are we allowed to investigate the Pike house?”

“No,” Hunk says, walking over to them. “They’re refusing to cooperate and are  _ very _ offended that we think they’re involved.”

Keith crosses his arms. “But they are.”

“Well, not according to them,” Hunk replies.

“Let me go talk to them then,” Keith suggests.

“That’s not a good idea,” Lance interjects.

“I’ll come with!” Ezor exclaims.

Lance rolls his eyes. “That’s an even worse idea.”

“Me too! I wanna see if I can get a peek inside the house!” Pidge adds, excited.

Lance scoffs. “I’m glad we’re getting all the bad ideas out in the open.”

“Okay then you go with Keith and Pidge to supervise them,” Ezor says, getting annoyed with Lance.

“That’s actually perfect because I need your help interviewing the kids who found the bodies,” Hunk says. “I’m not really good with that sort of thing.”

Keith nods at Ezor then leads Lance and Pidge over to the Pike frat house. He knocks on the door and after a minute someone opens it. The Pike guy furrows his eyebrows and look Keith, Lance, and Pidge up and down. “What do you want?”

“I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane,” Keith introduces himself, holding his badge up. “These are my associates, Doctor Lance McClain and Katherine Holt. Could we step inside and ask you and your brothers a few questions?”

The guy crosses his arms. “Do you have a warrant?”

“Why would you need one if you’re claiming you’ve got nothing to do with this?” Pidge wonders.

He narrows his eyes at her but steps aside, allowing them to walk in. “Fine.”

Keith walks in first and looks around, realizing what Joe meant when he said this place was nasty. He sees old pizza boxes scattered all over the place, some with moldy pizza inside them. Clothes are scattered across the room with someone’s dirty underwear draped over the television. A thick layer of dust covers the shelves and the trinkets and trophies on them.

What a dump.

“I’m Victor Cortez by the way,” the guy says as he shuts the door. “Sorry about the cold attitude, usually the cops assume whenever something bad happens it’s because of us.”

Lance turns to look at him. “Well, we’re not the cops.”

Victor nods. “So, what do you guys wanna know?”

Keith licks his lips and looks around the room. “Are any of your other brothers here?”

“Most of them are in class,” Victor replies. “We may be a party frat, but we have a rule about failing grades. More than one gets you kicked out.”

“How about Shaun Bollinger?” Lance wonders.

“Uhh…yeah! I think he’s typing a paper upstairs! I’ll go find him.” Victor hurries to the stairs and walks up them.

Once Victor is gone, Pidge takes the time to look around the room, trying to avoid stepping in spilled food. She takes pictures of various electronics she finds but stops when she comes across a laptop. She goes to touch one of the keys, but Lance grabs her hand to stop her.

“Wait.” Lance reaches into his pocket and hands her a latex glove. “Use this so you don’t leave fingerprints.”

“Right, thanks,” Pidge says, accepting the glove. She slips it on then presses one of the keys on it, lighting the screen up to reveal the lock screen. She quickly types a few things on her tablet which, after a couple seconds, causes the laptop to flash white four times before showing the unlocked home screen.

Keith opens his mouth to ask her how she managed to do that, but before he can, footsteps sound from the stairs. He smacks Pidge’s arm and she quickly returns the computer to normal just as a tall, buff guy emerges from behind the stairwell. “Are you Shaun Bollinger?” Keith asks.

Shaun narrows his eyes at Keith. “That depends, who’s asking?”

Keith crosses his arms, immediately hates him and his attitude. “I’m gonna give you a chance to rethink that.”

“What’re you gonna do if I don’t?” he challenges.

“I’ll arrest your pathetic ass for rape and murder,” Keith states.

“What?! I had nothing to do with that! Plus, you couldn’t even if you tried, twig,” Shaun says.

“Keith would wipe the floor with your ugly ass!” Pidge exclaims.

Shaun looks at her and scoffs. “Okay, sweetie.” He then smirks at her. “You looking for a good time? I can show you one.”

Keith steps in front of Pidge protectively and glares at Shaun. “Watch yourself.”

“Oh? What are you gonna do about it?” Shaun taunts, walking up to Keith to shove him back slightly.

Lance rubs his forehead, knowing how this is going to end. “Shaun, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Shaun whirls around and glares at him. “Shut up nerd!” He looks back at Keith then shoves him again.

Keith clenches his fists, slowly losing his temper. “I think you should listen to him.”

“Is that a threat?!” Shaun demands. He lifts up his fist and takes a swing at Keith, but Keith easily dodges and kicks Shaun behind the knee, knocking him to the ground.

“More like a warning of what was to come.” Keith glowers down at him. “Now answer our questions.”

Shaun grumbles but gets up as told. “What do you wanna know?”

“Do you know McKenzie Pierre and Carly Marrow?” Lance asks.

“Who? I’ve never heard of them,” Shaun says.

“Really? Even though they are frequent partiers here?” Lance wonders. “Even though they were found raped and murdered by your dumpster?”

“I know nothing about that,” Shaun states. “I was working on a paper upstairs and haven’t even been outside.”

“Somebody’s gotta know something about it. None of your brothers mentioned the fact that two corpses were outside?” Keith asks.

“Look, that’s a public dumpster so anyone can use it. Besides, a lot of people come and go from Pike parties so I never remember anyone’s names,” Shaun dismisses, turning around to pick up a pizza box.

“What about Natalie Kessler?” Keith asks.

Shaun freezes where he is and drops the pizza box. “I knew her.”

“She was last seen here. Do you remember seeing her that night? You were buds with her boyfriend, Philip,” Keith says. “A little birdie told us you had a thing for her too.”

“That’s a lie,” Shaun says shakily.

“It’s not. Maybe she got a little drunk at the party and got close with you,” Lance says. “You confess to her, but she rejects you because she’s loyal to Philip. You didn’t like that answer so you forcibly take her away to the soundproof room and rape her then kill her.”

Shaun scoffs. “You believe that myth? There’s no room like that here.” He turns to them, regaining his composure. “Look, if you don’t have any evidence linking us to the crime besides two more girls were attacked by the public dumpster near our house, you have no business being here.”

“Fine. You wouldn’t mind giving us a list of people who attended last night’s party, right?” Lance asks.

“We don’t keep guest lists like those Sigma Pi fools,” Shaun replies.

“Okay, mind if we take a look around to see if the soundproof room really doesn’t exist?” Keith asks.

“Uh, yeah, actually I do. It’s a mess in here and we have to get ready for tomorrow’s big party. We’re hosting all the sororities and frats so if  _ you _ all could leave, we’ve got a lot to clean,” Shaun says as he walks to the door.

“You’re gonna need a blow torch for most of this junk and whatever the opposite of a stink bomb is for the smell!” Pidge exclaims, irritated.

Shaun ignores her comment and opens the door for them, smiling smugly as Keith, Lance, and Pidge leave. The door slams shut behind them and Keith storms down the pathway to the sidewalk. “I need to punch something before I explode!” Keith exclaims angrily. “Will punching a tree help!?”

“I strongly advise against that,” Lance says, jogging to catch up to Keith. He walks in front of Keith and puts his hands on Keith’s shoulders. “Keith, do we need to have an impromptu session?”

“Probably!” Keith exclaims, shoving Lance away. “But we’re not dealing with this right now!”

“I think Shay’s about to leave,” Pidge says. “Hunk and Ezor are talking to her right now.” She leads Lance and Keith over to where the others are as Shay leaves with the other medical examiners.

“Oh! Good timing! Keith, Shay wants you and Lance to meet her at the morgue. Ezor and I are gonna head back to the station to fill Shiro in with what Shay told us. What did you guys find out from the Pike guys?” Hunk asks.

“I’ll text you with the information,” Lance says.

“I’m gonna go with Ezor and Hunk so I can start going through the computer I hacked into,” Pidge says.

“Wait, you did  _ what _ ?!” Hunk demands.

Keith chuckles and fist bumps Pidge before leading Lance to the car. They get in and Keith starts driving them towards the morgue. “So, do you think Shaun’s guilty?”

“I think he’s a better suspect than Philip,” Lance replies. “I’m not sure if he’s involved with McKenzie and Carly, but he definitely raped and killed Natalie.”

“Yeah, I saw his change of demeanor when I asked about Natalie,” Keith says.

Lance nods. “You made a nice move with bringing her up. You’ve learned quite a lot from me, haven’t you?” He smirks at Keith.

Keith rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Well, you’re a good teacher. Those new agents are a lucky bunch.”

Lance shoves Keith’s shoulder slightly as Keith pulls into the parking lot of the morgue. “Don’t patronize me. I still don’t know if I want the job.”

Keith takes the keys out of the ignition and looks at Lance. “You’d be a fool to turn away that job. I know I was being a selfish prick about it earlier, but I think you’ll be able to help those new agents like you helped me. We’ll still work together and maybe you can have me come in and be a guest speaker or just to show me off a bit.”

“I’ll think about it,” Lance replies. “But thank you for the support.” He gives Keith a soft smile then gets out of the car. Lance leads Keith inside where they find Shay running a test on a sample found from one of the bodies. “Hey Shay. What do you have for us?”

She turns and smiles at them. “Oh, hey guys. It’s nice to see you two together to hear what I have to say. As much as I love Hunk, he just doesn’t have the ability to bounce theories off of Lance like you do, Keith.”

“Yeah, Hunk’s great at a lot of things, but not that,” Keith agrees.

“Anyway, what’d you find?” Lance asks.

“I found two traces of semen on each of the victims,” Shay says, turning the screen to show them. “As you can see one of them on both girls is from the same person. The second one on each is from two different guys.”

Lance nods. “Do any of them match the sample found on Natalie?”

“I’m afraid not,” Shay says solemnly.

“We have four rapists?!” Keith asks incredulously. “Okay, that doesn’t go without someone else knowing about something.”

Lance rubs his forehead. “Someone else has to know something in that house, but everyone refuses to talk to us. I think it’s the bond of brothers or some stupid shit like that.”

“Yeah, they’re all probably in on it and watch it for kicks and giggles,” Keith says bitterly. “It’s disgusting.”

“Wait, that’s not a bad assumption,” Lance says, perking up slightly.

Keith chuckles slightly. “I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.” Lance walks over to him. “We need more evidence and probable cause before we can ask Allura for a warrant to get the DNA of the frat brothers.”

“A judge won’t agree to a warrant for the DNA of everyone in that house! We have to narrow the search down too,” Keith says. “Maybe Pidge has something on the laptop she hacked into. Sure, it’s inadmissible for court, but it can lead us to getting some real evidence.”

Shay smiles fondly at them, and Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “Why are you smiling?”

“I’m just gonna miss this - you guys theorizing with each other,” she says.

“Why will you miss this?” Lance asks.

“Well, with your new teaching job, I won’t be seeing a lot of you anymore,” Shay answers.

“How did you hear about that? Did Hunk tell you?” Keith demands.

“No! Shiro sent an email informing Coran and I,” Shay replies.

“I’m gonna kill Shiro,” Keith threatens, a knife slipping down his arm.

Shay raises her eyebrows when she sees the knife. “Keith! Where did you - never mind.” Lance grabs his wrist and takes the knife away from him. “You’re not killing anyone. We’ll just ask him why he’s tearing us apart, but it’ll have to wait ‘till after we see how Pidge is doing.”

Keith pulls his hand away from Lance and takes his knife back. “Fine!”

Lance smiles at Keith and lightly shoves him towards the door. “Thanks for the information, Shay. Let us know if you find anything else.”

She nods. “I’ll text you with the tox screen results the moment I get them.”

Keith and Lance wave goodbye to her and quickly head out to the car to drive back to the station. Once they get back, they walk into the meeting room and find Pidge and Hunk with different devices and computers surrounding them. They have a projector set on the table showing four different screens from the four computers they have on the table pointed at the whiteboard. Ezor is sitting in one of the chairs with a bowl of popcorn watching Pidge and Hunk work.

“Where’d you get the popcorn?” Keith asks while Lance asks, “How far are you guys?”

Lance and Keith glare at each other before Keith goes to sit down next to Ezor, stealing some popcorn from her bowl, earning a grunt of protest in return.

“There’s a shit ton of coding we have to sort through,” Pidge replies. “One of these chumps must be good with computers because most of this is uniquely made. I have to run a million different sequences to attempt to break the code.”

“Where’s Shiro?” Lance asks next.

“Dealing with Philip,” Hunk answers. “He still thinks he’s involved somehow.”

“Even after you told him what Keith, Pidge, and I heard in the Pike house?” Lance wonders.

Hunk nods. “Yeah, I dunno what his problem - oh! I got it!” He scribbles something down on a piece of paper then hands it to Pidge. “Try the beta alpha sequence I just wrote down.”

Pidge furrows her eyebrows and reads it over. “Actually, this might work.” She sets it down and begins typing in the sequence.

Nothing happens for a few seconds, but then codes randomly starts appearing in green on each of the screens before a desktop shows on the top two screens. The top left shows a normal desktop screen while the top right shows the exact same thing except with more files on it. The bottom left continually has code running up and down it. The bottom right screen just shows a black screen.

Pidge smirks. “Hacker voice,  _ I’m in _ .”

“Team Punk does it again!” Hunk exclaims, giving Pidge an air high five.

“Uh, question, why is the bottom right screen just black?” Ezor wonders.

“I’ll figure that out,” Hunk says, beginning to type once again.

Keith watches as Pidge types a few more things, easily working past the laptop’s firewall and gets through to the hard drive where some encrypted files appear. “Um, these were hidden,” she says.

“I’m guessing something like porn is on them,” Keith says nonchalantly.

“That’s what I was thinking!” Ezor exclaims, high fiving Keith.

“I think it’s something related to the murders and rapes,” Lance says, taking a seat next to Keith.

Pidge opens them up and each are different files full of videos filmed in a grey room. A table with straps sits in the middle of the room while three drawers stand next to each other on one side of the room while tables around the perimeter of the room have different kinds of BDSM stuff on them. Keith sighs and says, “I was really hoping it wasn’t porn.”

“No, I don’t think this is porn - okay, in a way it is, but I think Lance is right. Look at the recent ones.” She stands up and points at the names. “This one is named Natalie.”

Pidge clicks on it and after a few seconds, the lights in the room turn on. They hear two people loudly making out as they make their way down the stairs. Shaun comes into view, backing down the stairs, lips locked with Natalie’s. Once they get to the floor, Natalie pulls away and looks around. “ _ Wow, is this the legendary sex room? _ ”

Shaun smiles fondly at her. “ _ Yes. We only use it for special occasions like this one. _ ”

Natalie turns to look at him. “ _ What are you- _ ”

Shaun takes her hands in his own and he pulls her close. “ _ Natalie, I like you a lot. We clearly have chemistry with each other. You don’t need Philip! I can give you what he can’t! _ ”

Natalie chuckles nervously and pulls her hands away. “ _ Are you kidding me? I’m with Philip. I only did this to show him that he shouldn’t take me for granted _ .”

“ _ You could do so much better than him! I’m better for you! _ ” Shaun exclaims. He leans forward to kiss her again, but Natalie pushes him away. He narrows his eyes at her. “ _ You shouldn’t have done that, Natalie. _ ” Shaun grabs her arms by force and shoves her onto the table.

Natalie screams at him to stop, trying to pull her arms away. “ _ Stop it Shaun! Leave me alone! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! _ ”

“ _ Yell all you want, _ ” Shaun says. “ _ No one can hear you. _ ” He starts restraining her arms and legs, easily overpowering her.

Natalie screams in his face when it gets close enough and he slaps her, causing her to hit her head on the table. Shaun chuckles at her pained noises then begins lifting up her skirt and pulling down her underwear.

“Stop the video,” Lance orders.

Pidge pauses it before anything else happens and everyone looks at Lance as he stands up to rub his forehead. He walks out of the room without another word, clearly upset. Keith stands up and hurries after him. “Lance, wait!”

Lance ignores him and continues walking until Keith grabs his arm and drags him into one of the empty interrogation rooms. “Okay, what’s up? Why’d you storm out?”

“I hate these kinds of cases. They give me anxiety,” Lance replies.

Keith gestures for Lance to sit down and he does, taking off his glasses to put his face in his hands. Keith sits across from him and stays silent until Lance is ready to speak.

“Um, my little sister was raped when she was fifteen on her way home from school one day. She committed suicide a few months later because she hated herself for it. Our parents weren’t mad at her or anything and even did everything they could to help her, but she was too angry with herself for letting it happen,” Lance shares quietly. “Her twentieth birthday was last week.” Lance bites his lip and looks down. “I blame myself every day for not doing a better job protecting her. We were supposed to walk home together that day, but I chose to go to a friend’s house that day so she walked home alone. If I had just been there…”

“Lance, you can’t blame yourself,” Keith says, reaching out to put a hand on Lance’s. “Who’s to say you wouldn’t have gotten hurt either? What if the person who did it did something to you as well? It’s not your fault.”

Lance shakes his head and looks up at Keith, eyes brimming with tears. “They never found the guy who did it. The police didn’t even try!”

Keith’s phone buzzes and he places it on the table to look at it.

 

_ Ezor: _ _ the video caught the whole rape and murder on video. 3 other guys came in and helped kill natalie. it confirms that strangulation was COD. same with carly’s and mckenzie’s - it’s all here _

 

_ Keith: _ _ that’s great to hear! thank you ezor _

 

_ Ezor: _ _ no prob! is lance gonna be ok? _

 

_ Keith: _ _ i’m working on it _

 

_ Ezor: _ _ you’re a good friend, keith. lance is lucky to have you ;) _

 

Keith smiles at Ezor’s last message then slides his phone aside. “Well, I think your sister would feel good if we got justice for these three girls. The video got us all four rapists, Lance. We got them.”

“A judge won’t give Allura a warrant because of some illegally obtained videos,” Lance says.

“Maybe not, but-” Keith starts but his phone buzzes again. He sees a message from an unknown number.

 

_ Unknown: _ _ Agent Keith? This is Christine. I need help _

 

_ Keith: _ _ where are you right now _

 

_ Christine: _ _ Outside my dorm. Hurry _

 

_ Keith: _ _ on my way _

 

“Lance, we have to go,” Keith says, standing up.

“What? What happened?” Lance asks, worried.

“It’s Christine,” Keith answers. “Something happened.” He gets up and leads Lance outside to the car so they can head to the university.

They arrive and park near the resident hall. When they get out of the car, they see Christine, Morgan and two other dudes Keith doesn’t recognize outside of Christine’s and Morgan’s resident hall. Keith and Lance hurry over to them. “What the hell happened?” Keith asks.

“My stalker just tried to attack Morgan and me!” Christine exclaims.

“And who are these two?” Keith wonders.

“This is my friend Dominic Lutz,” Christine says. “He and Morgan’s boyfriend scared him off, but it was bad.”

Keith looks at Morgan and she nods. “Yeah, this is Blake Richard.”

“The chump who tried attacking them was in Pike! His name is Andrew Morrison,” Blake shares.

“Backup a second, stalker?” Lance asks, looking at Christine.

“He always seems to know where I am twenty-four seven and always tries getting involved with my friends and me,” Christine says.

“Yeah, I always see him staring at her creepily,” Morgan adds.

Keith exchanges a knowing look with Lance then looks at Blake. “Is there a big party happening at Pike tonight?”

“Yeah, but I’m not going after this fiasco. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the attack?” Blake wonders.

“Trust me, what I’m about to say will make you change your mind,” Keith says. “We have proof that can tie Pike to the three rapes and murders and we can catch them tonight before another happens. You and Morgan would come back with us to the station to get wires put on you.”

Blake and Morgan look at each other. “It’s up to you, babe,” Blake says.

Morgan nods. “If it’ll get Natalie justice, I’m in. We just have to go grab what we’re going to be wearing. We were going to go in to change since it starts earlier tonight.” She and Blake head inside the dorm to grab what they need.

“I want in on this,” Christine says suddenly. “This can be my chance to have Andrew leave me alone once and for all. Joe can take me as his plus one.”

“Alright,” Keith agrees.

“What?! No! You could get dragged to that room and they could do all those awful things to you!” Dominic protests.

“Dom, I’ll be fine,” Christine retorts. “I want to help them.”

Dominic shakes his head. “Fine. It’s your funeral.” He storms off angrily.

Christine winces and looks longingly after him but shakes her head and looks back at Keith. “Do you want me to text Joe?”

“Yeah, tell him the plan and have him meet us out here,” Keith says.

Christine nods then walks inside to grab what she needs. Lance sighs from next to Keith, looking at his phone. “What’s up?” Keith asks.

“Oh, I’m trying to get ahold of Nyma, but her phone keeps going straight to voicemail,” Lance replies. “I’m trying to see if she wants to meet for dinner when we land.”

“Maybe she’s just busy right now,” Keith suggests. “I wouldn’t worry about it.” He raises an eyebrow and slowly takes Lance’s phone out of his hand. “Unless there’s something else you’re not telling me.”

Lance shakes his head. “No, no. Things are actually going really well.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Keith wonders.

“Sometimes I think she just deserves better than me. She could do so much better and-” Lance starts but Keith raises his hand to silence him.

“Lance, stop. If anything, you could do better than her,” Keith says. “You know how the rest of us feel about her. Look, don’t beg for her attention, she should be giving it to you because she cares about you.”

Lance nods. “You’re right and you guys really should give Nyma a chance. She wants to get to know you guys better.”

“Yeah, well, don’t expect me to play nice with her,” Keith retorts. “I have nothing in common with that she-beast.”

“You have me in common,” Lance says. He offers Keith a soft smile. “Do it for me?”

Keith hesitates, remembering the times Nyma has taunted him when she showed any sort of affection to Lance. He hates her for that, but he respects and cares about Lance too much to hold a grudge. “Okay, but only for you, got it?”

“Thanks, Keith,” Lance says appreciatively.

Keith nods at Lance then turns when he sees Morgan, Blake, Christine, and Joe walking out of the resident hall. He and Lance lead them over to where Keith parked the car and they head back to the station. Pidge runs outside to meet them but stops when she sees the college students. “Why are they here?”

“They need wires for the party tonight,” Keith says. “We’re hoping to catch Pike in the act.”

Pidge smiles and nods. “I’ve been waiting for a time to use my new tech! Come on guys, follow me!” She motions for the students to follow her. Despite her being the same age as them, Pidge somehow looks younger. Keith concludes it’s probably because she’s so short.

Lance and Keith walk in afterwards, but Shiro steps in front of them and stops them. “Why did you bring those four students here?”

Keith crosses his arms. “They’re gonna help us catch the rapists before anyone else gets hurt. If you have a problem with that, you can fire me when this case is done.” He starts to walk away, but Shiro grabs his arm and stops him. Keith opens his mouth to tell Shiro off, but Shiro speaks before him.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro says suddenly. “You’ve been doing a good job with this case. I’m sorry for stepping on anyone’s toes during this investigation. I really thought Philip was good for the murder. I guess I’m just getting too old for this.” He offers a smile.

Keith regards him warily, but nods nonetheless. “It’s okay…you were just following what your gut said.”

“Lately my gut hasn’t been doing me much good. It almost split apart the best set of partners this agency has,” Shiro says. “Lance, you don’t have to do the teaching job if you don’t want to.”

Lance and Keith exchange a smile with each other. “Actually, Shiro, I do want to do it. Keith helped me see the special skills I bring to the team and I want to teach others the importance of it too.”

“Besides, I think Ezor is a good addition to the team,” Keith says. “She’ll fit in just fine.”

Shiro nods at them. “Thank you. I needed to hear that right now.” He clears his throat. “We’ll finish this discussion later.”

Keith and Lance exchange a confused expression but drop the conversation as they walk back to the interrogation room. They see the top two computer screens have been looked through even further. Many files are open on the screens and some are marked up. However, the bottom right screen is still pitch black and Hunk still seems to be working on it. Ezor’s bowl of popcorn is on the table, but she’s gone.

“Where did Ezor go?” Keith wonders.

“Morgan and Christine asked for her help to get them ready,” Pidge replies, fiddling with a tablet.

“I thought you help with the wires?” Keith asks.

“She’s helping them look presentable,” Pidge clarifies.

Keith nods then takes a seat next to Hunk. “Have you figured anything out?”

“I know it’s a live camera feed, but I can’t seem to figure out how to turn anything on. The camera is running right now, but everything is dark,” Hunk says.

“Could it be a live feed from the soundproof room?” Lance asks.

“That’s what Pidge and I concluded!” Hunk exclaims. “But we can’t know for sure.”

Lance shrugs and sits down next to Keith. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Ezor walks back in the room with Morgan and Christine following behind. Keith turns and his eyebrows raise at how different the girls look. Morgan’s brown hair is twisted to the left and the ends are curled. She’s wearing a crop top with high waisted shorts and ankle boots. Christine’s hair is curled and has on an off-the-shoulder short sleeve shirt, a skirt, and black army boots.

“Was playing extreme makeover the best use of time?” Keith asks Ezor with his eyebrow raised.

“Beauty is the best weapon of attack,” Ezor replies.

“You just made that up.”

“Did I? Then why do you wear your hair in a ponytail?” Ezor plops down across from Keith and smirks at his flustered expression. “Thought so.”

“Keith does look like a sexy FBI agent with that ponytail,” Morgan comments with a wink.

Keith rolls his eyes as Joe and Blake come in, sporting their respective frat’s polo shirts. Pidge stands once she notices all of them. “Are you guys ready to be hooked up?”

“Let’s do it!” Joe exclaims.

Pidge motions for Hunk to come help and Keith watches as they begin putting the wires on Blake and Joe. They start with the boys because it’s easier to hide the tiny microphones on them. When Pidge first joined the team, she decided to design a smaller, wireless microphone for agents to wear so they couldn’t be detected as easily. Now everyone in the agency uses them and they’ve helped save a lot of lives.

Anyway, she hides the tiny microphones in the pocket of the boys’ polo shirts. Pidge motions for Blake’s glasses so she can attach a tiny camera to the outer rim then she sticks one on the pin on Joe’s polo shirt. She turns to the girls and scratches her head, thinking. “How am I gonna put them on you?” Pidge wonders out loud. She motions for Christine’s glasses and puts the camera in the same spot where she put Joe’s.

“What about their earrings?” Ezor suggests.

“I don’t think - actually…” Pidge trails off. “That’s a good idea. Morgan, Christine, take off one of your earrings.” They do as told and Pidge messes with them for a moment before attaching the microphone to the backs of the earrings. She hands them back to them and watches them put them back on. “Let me see.” Morgan and Christine turn their heads and they don’t look that different than they did before. “Excellent! Now where should the camera on Morgan go?”

Ezor stands up and holds out her hand for one of the tiny cameras. Pidge hands her one and Ezor puts it on Morgan’s necklace. Hunk gives the students earpieces to wear so they can hear anything the team says. “Alright, I’d say they’re ready to go to this party.”

 

* * *

Currently, Keith and everyone else is set up in a van parked near the Pike house so they can run inside when something happens. Pidge has monitors set up with Morgan’s, Christine’s, Joe’s, and Blake’s camera feeds showing. They’re placed in different areas of the house and they’re told to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. The team members know to keep an eye out for Andrew Morrison, Jaylen Kaligian, Mac McLian, and Shaun Bollinger.

Lance suddenly spots Shaun talking to some girl through Blake’s screen. “Blake, your three o’clock. Shaun’s talking to some girl. It looks harmless but keep an eye on it.” Blake doesn’t respond verbally, he just taps his pocket like they agreed to.

Keith looks back at Morgan’s feed and he sees a lot of Pike guys eyeing her, but none of them make a move because Blake has his arms around her. “Morgan, keep your guard up. The Pike guys are looking at you.”

Morgan snickers slightly, whispering, “ _ I know, agent. _ ”

Pidge stifles a laugh at Morgan’s comment while Keith directs his attention to Christine’s screen. He watches as Andrew Morrison walks up to her, smile on his face. “ _ Hey Christine! I just wanna apologize for what happened earlier. I don’t know what came over me. _ ”

Keith looks at Lance with wide eyes. “Her stalker is one of the rapists?!”

“ _ Get away from me! _ ” Christine exclaims when Andrew reaches for her hand.

“Okay, we need to get ready to move,” Keith says, starting to stand up. “Lance, Ezor-”

_ CRACK _

Keith raises his eyebrow when Christine punches Andrew across the jaw. She shoves him away and turns to walk away but runs into someone else. She looks up and the camera shows a tall, dark skinned guy with his arms crossed.

“Mac McLain,” Keith says. “Oh no.”

He smirks at Christine. “ _ You should know when to listen to a man, stupid bitch. _ ” Mac grabs Christine forcefully by the arm and drags her down a hallway. Christine struggles against him, but he’s too strong. He feels around on the wall for a crevice and pulls something. Keith hears a click and a door slowly open. Suddenly the camera jerks and Christine screams as Mac shoves her down the stairs. The camera on her glasses cut off and the feed dies.

“What the hell just happened?!” Keith demands.

Pidge types a couple things, but nothing happens to bring the video back. “Ah!” Hunk exclaims, setting his laptop in front of them which shows a live feed from the soundproof room. The lights are on and Keith sees Christine slowly backing up to the wall. She screams at Mac to go away but he continues walking down the stairs. Three other guys follow him down and Keith recognizes them as Shaun, Andrew, and Jaylen.

Keith huffs angrily and storms out of the van, gun in hand. He turns and sees Lance and Ezor following after. Once Keith gets to the door, he kicks it open, startling everyone inside. He looks around for some Pike guys. “Where’s the room?!” he demands. “Huh?! Tell me where the rape room is!”

None of them respond as Lance walks up next to Keith. “They’re not gonna tell you. I remember Christine was standing next to a tall black lamp near a hallway.”

Keith storms through the house, searching for the black lamp. People move out of his way, fear in their eyes. Once he spots it, he begins to feel around on the wall where the crevice could be. Ezor and Lance come to help him look. After a couple seconds, Lance knocks on the wall, finding a hollow part. “Keith, here.”

Lance and Ezor step back as Keith gets ready to kick the door open. He takes a deep breath then kicks as hard as he can, sending the door off its hinges and flying down the stairs. Lance goes through first, gun aimed and Keith and Ezor follow closely behind. They get down there as Andrew finishes tying Christine to the table while the other three record it. Christine screams for them to stop, tears streaming down her cheeks, makeup running. Suddenly, Shaun turns and aims a gun in Lance’s direction. Keith panics and jumps to tackle Lance away, but the bullet nicks Keith in the side, causing him to yell in pain when he lands on the ground.

“I guess we’re killing some agents today too, boys!” Shaun exclaims. He aims at Keith again, but a bullet hits him in the chest before he can.

Keith clutches his side, backing into the wall. He turns to see Ezor with her gun aimed at Shaun, then she runs down the stairs, aiming her gun at Jaylen, Mac, and Andrew.

Lance looks at Keith with wide eyes before standing to aim his gun at the other three boys too. “Step away from Christine, now,” Ezor orders, venom in her voice. They do as told and she presses a button on her earpiece to speak into it. “I need a couple more officers down here to help me cuff these guys, a medic to get Shaun’s body, and a medic for-”

Keith grunts. “No.” 

Ezor looks back at him with a glare. “Have a medic ready outside for Agent Kogane.” She grabs Andrew’s arm and begins to cuff him as Hunk and two other officers come downstairs. “Andrew Morrison, Mac McLain, and Jaylen Kaligian, you three are under arrest for the rapes and murders of Natalie Kessler, Carly Marrow, and McKenzie Pierre and the attempted rape and murder of Christine Rogers. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.” She passes off Andrew to Hunk then unties Christine.

Lance puts his gun away once all three guys are cuffed and kneels down next to Keith to help him up and to help apply pressure. “You’re gonna be okay, Keith. It didn’t hit anything important.” He then looks up at Keith as they begin walking up the stairs. “Why did you do that? Why did you take that bullet for me?”

Keith winces each time they take a step upstairs. “He was gonna shoot you…couldn’t let…that happen.” They reach the top of the stairs as a couple medical examiners head down to deal with Shaun’s body.

Lance leads Keith outside and they spot Shay coming over to them. “Keith, it’s not up to whether or not I get shot.”

“It would’ve hit your sternum,” Keith retorts, coughing a little. “I’d rather get a minor shot than watch my partner die.”

“Keith Kogane! I am not happy with you mister!” Shay exclaims, motioning for Lance and Keith to follow her to an ambulance.

“Shay, I don’t need…a hospital,” Keith insists as Lance helps him sit down.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Shay replies. “Take off your bloody shirt.”

Lance helps Keith undo the tie and take the shirt off so Keith has on the bloody tank top underneath. Shay grabs some scissors and begins cutting the tank off. Once gone, Keith’s bare chest and abdomen show, revealing all of his scars. Shay’s breath hitches when she looks at the ones from when Haxus tried to blow him up, but she doesn’t comment on them. She begins cleaning and patching up the wound. Keith avoids looking at Lance because he knows he’s staring at all of his scars. Lance reaches for a long one across his back, but stops himself, clearing his throat and looking away. Keith waits for him to question or ridicule the scars, but he never does. He doesn’t even say anything about them

“Okay, I’m done,” Shay says. “Don’t move, I need to grab one more thing and a shirt for you to wear.” She walks away to another doctor to ask them a question then walks somewhere else with them.

Lance steps in front of Keith, arms crossed. “Why did you take that bullet for me?”

Keith shrugs. “I have plenty of scars…one more won’t make a difference.”

“Did you do that because you saw I didn’t have any?” Lance wonders. Keith looks away and doesn’t reply. “I don’t have many visible scars because of my position in the army. If I did get any, they faded away. I mainly have internal, mental scars. Honestly, my mind probably looks like how you look right now.”

Keith looks back up at him. “How do you handle those then?”

“My method of coping is helping others through their issues. That’s why I became a psychologist,” Lance shares.

Keith ponders that as Shay comes back with a cloth wrap and a shirt. She tosses the shirt at Lance then wraps the cloth wrap around Keith’s abdomen where the wound is. “Keith, if you experience any pain, go to the hospital immediately, okay?” She looks at Lance. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid before they leave.”

Lance looks up from his phone. “Well, I’ve got nothing better to do tomorrow since my girlfriend won’t answer my calls!”

Shay raises an eyebrow. “How do you put up with Nyma?” Her eyes widen at Lance’s glare. “Never mind. I’ll see you guys later.” She walks away.

Lance stands up. “I’ll get them to pull the van around here so you don’t have to walk very far. Then we’ll head back to the station.”

Keith nods then Lance walks away. A few seconds later his phone rings and he looks at the caller ID, sighing in relief. He presses accept call. “Thank god you called. He’s getting irritable. Did your plane take off yet?” He pauses then smiles. “Excellent. See you then.”

 

* * *

 

_ July 28 _

_ Lance’s Birthday _

* * *

“Keith, where the hell are you taking me?” Lance demands, blindfolded. “It’s too early for this shit.”

“If you keep complaining, I will take you back to your room and you don’t get to see what it is,” Keith says, dragging Lance along.

Lance groans, irritated, but stops complaining. Keith and Pidge organized so they could reserve one of the meeting rooms in the hotel to have an impromptu birthday party for Lance. Instead of it being at night, Keith and Pidge thought it would be cool to have it be in the morning and serve a bunch of breakfast food. Who could say no to bacon?

They arrive at the room and Keith smiles at his friends. “Okay…are you ready, Lance?” Keith asks.

“Yes,” Lance says. “Please take this blindfold off of me.”

Keith smirks and unties his blindfold, pulling it away to reveal Pidge, Hunk, Shay, Shiro, and Ezor in front of a buffet of breakfast foods with balloons, streamers, and a banner that reads  _ Happy Birthday, Lance! _

“Surprise!” everyone shouts with a smile.

“Oh my god…” Lance says, awed. “Guys! This is awesome!” He turns to Keith. “You and Pidge did this?”

“Hunk obviously helped with the food, but yeah! And you thought I forgot,” Keith says.

Lance rolls his eyes then hugs Keith. “Thank you, Keith. This means a lot to me.”

“Oh, but I’m not done yet.” Keith releases Lance and turns him around. Behind them, Nyma is standing there with a huge smile on her face.

“Nyma?!” Lance asks, hurrying over to hug her. He wraps his arms around her and lifts her up, spinning her around.

She giggles and kisses his cheek. “Hi Lance. Did you think I’d ever miss your birthday?” Nyma smiles at him when he sets her down.

“You kept dodging my calls! I thought I did something wrong,” Lance says, holding her hands.

“I had a case, but that was also part of Keith’s plan to get me up here to surprise you. He didn’t want you to suspect anything,” Nyma shares. “He flew me out here last night.”

Lance turns to look at Keith. “You brought her here for me?”

Keith nods. “Though I didn’t really think through the result of you complaining about her not answering your messages.” He shakes his head. “You’re welcome.”

“Can we eat now?! I’m  _ starving _ !” Pidge complains.

Everyone chuckles and starts getting food and socializes with each other. Ezor talks with Nyma about the case she was working on. Apparently Nyma had to defend a guy who was falsely accused that he committed tax fraud. Keith listens in on the conversation but stops when Pidge pulls him away. He furrows his eyebrows at her. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me you were bringing Nyma up,” Pidge says. “Why did you do that?”

“Lance said he wasn’t going to get to spend his birthday with her when they made dinner plans,” Keith shares. “I felt bad so I asked her if she’d like to fly in the night before.”

They look back to where Lance and Nyma are. He has his arm around her and occasionally he’ll smile down at her or kiss her forehead. “And you’re okay with this?” Pidge wonders.

Keith shrugs. “When he’s happy, I’m happy.”

“Mmkay. I’ll drop it for now, but when you’re ready to tell the truth, I’ll be waiting,” Pidge says, patting Keith on the back.

Shiro suddenly steps into the front of the room. “Uh, hey guys! I have an announcement to make.” Everyone turns to look at him. “The reason why I was being difficult on this case is because my bosses want me to spend more time in the office dealing with other things. I won’t be going out with you guys on cases like this anymore. I’m still the team leader, but I won’t be as involved anymore. I’ll be leading you guys from my office and dealing with the larger aspects, like the resulting paperwork and dealing with the culprit.” He looks at Keith. “Keith will be taking control of cases and leading you guys through the smaller aspects of them.”

Keith blinks in confusion. “Wait, what? Why?”

Shiro chuckles. “I’m getting old. Someone has to take my place and my bosses think you’re showing some real progress.”

“Well! Uh, I think I saw some extra bacon!” Lance exclaims, breaking the tension. “Who wants some more?!”

Keith looks at the ground, mind racing. How could they think Keith’s ready for this? He  _ never _ follows the rules! Why is this happening? What happened for them to have Shiro step down a bit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more picture will be added at the end but it's not finished yet. This is the longest one yet! Over 20k words!
> 
> It's gonna be a while before I update this AU again because this one took a lot out of me. Back to the Harry Potter AU!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Please be kind in the comment section. The artist and I work very hard on this.  
> Writer's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)  
> Artist's Tumblr: [burtburt0614](http://burtburt0614.tumblr.com)


	5. Up in Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a very helpful session with Lance, Keith and his team are called to the scene of a burnt grade school. They rule out an accident when they discover that no one made it out alive. How could this have happened? Wouldn't the smoke alarms have gone off? Everyone must work together to figure out who the culprit is and why they did it. Things pose more of a difficulty when one of the team members is compromised...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done. This stupid cop chapter is DONE! Needless to say, I'm never doing something like this case again for a while lol.
> 
> No drawings for this chapter since the artist is still on hiatus.
> 
> Enjoy~

Keith sighs in frustration and leans back on the couch during his weekly therapy session with Lance. He had a close call in a previous case after the Pi Kappa Alpha one in Big Rapids, Michigan. The suspect managed to get under Keith’s skin and set him off. Luckily Lance was there to calm him down, but if it had been Ezor with him, that would’ve been another story. Speaking of Ezor, she’s become a valuable asset to the team and is much better at talking to the families than Keith ever was. Plus it allows Lance more time to work on the profile without being distracted - not that talking with victim’s families is a distraction, but he can’t always be in two places at once.

After that close call, things went better from there until Keith had a hearing with Shiro’s bosses about him leading the team and it didn’t go too well. Keith got into an argument with them when Krolia was brought up and his actions when he went off after Haxus alone.

“Keith, they’re going to give you another chance,” Lance says, interrupting Keith’s thoughts. “You’re too good of an agent to stay as a subordinate. You’re destined for bigger and better things.”

Keith shakes his head no. “I don’t have the patience or skill set to lead the team.”

“No, you’re going to get another shot because you are capable of leading the team. You just have to put forth the effort and believe in yourself,” Lance counters.

“I don’t know how to handle people needing to rely on me,” Keith reveals with a sigh. “I wouldn’t be able to deal with the pressure or the guilt if something bad happened to one of you guys.”

“Well, you did a great job leading the team to go behind Shiro’s back in Big Rapids,” Lance comments with a smug expression.

Keith rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t count.”

“I disagree, Keith,” Lance says, leaning forward. “Everyone followed you with no questions asked.”

Keith moves so his feet are laying on the couch. “Because I was right.”

“That’s true, but you believed you were right so you made the decision to take initiative. Pidge and Hunk would follow you blindly into battle and I’m certain Ezor would too.”

“Would you?”

“Without hesitation.”

Keith crosses his arms and looks away. “What about my PTSD?”

“What about it?”

Keith sighs and looks back at Lance. “Would it play a factor in it?”

Lance smiles. “Only if you let it.”

Keith returns the smile and nods, uncrossing his arms. “You know, I used to dread these sessions when we first started, but over this past year I feel like they’ve been really helping me.”

“That’s kinda the point, but I’m glad it took you a year to warm up to me,” Lance says with a chuckle as he shuts his notebook. He leans back and tosses the notebook onto the table.

“Oh, come on! It didn’t take a year! Maybe a month or two, but not a year!” Keith exclaims.

“I know, I’m just messing with you. I think the moment you actually started to trust me was after the Christmas bomber,” Lance comments.

“Well, you did save my life,” Keith replies. “When did you start to trust me?”

Lance smirks. “Take a guess.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows and scratches his chin. “Mm, well, I first saved your life when you were buried alive by the Gravedigger…so I guess then?”

“That wasn’t the first time you saved my life,” Lance says, looking at the table.

“It wasn’t? When was the first then?” Keith wonders.

“Our very first case together,” Lance shares. “The one where the old homeless man was murdered. We went into the tattoo parlor to interrogate the Snake and he held a knife to my throat.”

Keith nods. “I remember. That’s when you started to trust me? We barely knew each other.”

Lance shrugs. “I can’t explain it, but I just had a feeling you wouldn’t let anything happen to me. The Gravedigger case confirmed it when you refused to give up. Hunk told me you nearly strangled that Willis Miles guy. You told him that if I died, you’d kill him.”

“I still stick by that,” Keith says. “If anyone hurts you, I’ll make them hurt more. I think this is why I never wanted a partner because if something ever happened to them, it’d be on me.”

Lance smiles. “That means a lot to me, Keith.”

Keith nods then clears his throat. “So, how’re you and Nyma doing?” he wonders, changing the topic. It’s been about five months since Lance and Nyma started dating, and it’s been about five months since Nyma has pissed Keith off. He likes to think that Lance has somehow changed Nyma so she’s no longer an annoying bitch, but it’s probably the fact that Lance brings out the best in everyone. That’s one of the things Keith respects most about Lance.

“We’ve been good! I think we’re really connecting!” Lance exclaims with a smile. “I’m glad you’ve been accepting her…like when you brought her to Big Rapids as a surprise.”

“I knew you’d like it. She was really happy when I asked her about it,” Keith says. “You two deserve each other.” Somehow he fought back a snarky tone and managed to make it sound genuine. How did he do it? Well, Lance has made a huge impression on Keith’s anger management so that’s probably part of it.

A knock at the door interrupts Keith’s thoughts and startles him a little. Lance smirks at Keith’s scared expression then looks at the door. “It’s open!” he exclaims.

Pidge walks in holding an iPad. “Am I interrupting a session?” She walks up behind the couch Keith is on and ruffles his hair before looking back at Lance.

“No, we’ve finished,” Lance says. “What’s up?”

“We have another lead in the arson case. A public school was set on fire and Shiro wants you two at the scene,” Pidge says. She drops a set of keys on Keith’s lap then walks out.

Keith sighs and stands up to stretch. He groans in content when he hears his spine crack. “Oh my god that was heavenly.”

Lance stands up and gives him a glare. “And disgusting. What even was that noise you made?”

“Leave me alone, jackass!” Keith exclaims, shoving Lance lightly as he opens the door to Lance’s office. “Just for that comment, I might take Ezor instead.”

“Actually, she already left with Hunk when they got the call. Shiro sent them because you two were still in session,” Pidge interjects.

Keith sighs. “Thanks for that, Pidge.”

She winks at Keith. “You’re welcome.”

Lance puts his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Looks like you’re stuck with me, Ruby Red.”

“Oh joy!” Keith exclaims sarcastically before smirking at Lance. He leads him out to where the SUVs are parked and Keith gets into the driver’s seat while Lance gets into the passenger’s seat. “Shit, I never asked Pidge for the name of the school.”

Lance pulls his phone out and sends Pidge a text. Nearly a second later he gets a response. “The school is Holy Trinity School, one three two five thirty-sixth street North West.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows as he backs out of the parking spot. “Why does that sound familiar? Whatever. I’ll think of it later.”

When they arrive at the school, they see a mob of parents near the police caution tape with local PD trying to keep them back. Keith and Lance exchange a solemn expression before making their way to the caution tape. Keith shows his badge to the officer and he lets them past the tape. He ducks under the tape and begins walking forward towards where Shay, Coran, and the other forensic FBI members are, but Lance grabs his arm before he can take another step forward.

Keith opens his mouth to ask why Lance stopped him, but Lance points down at the ground where a burnt figure lays motionless with unsettlingly ashy, charred skin. His breath hitches when he finally notices all the small corpses littered on the ground. Most of the little ones are curled up as if they tried to cower away from the fire whereas the bigger ones look as though as they accepted their fate. “This is a grade school,” Keith whispers.

“I know, I know,” Lance says, tugging on Keith’s arm to bring him over to Shay just as Coran walks away with another forensic specialist. “Hey, Shay.”

Shay turns to look at them. “This is the most depressing crime scene I’ve ever been at. I mean they’re all depressing, but these are children! Who would do this?! How did none of them escape?! Why didn’t-” She huffs, trying to compose herself. “Sorry, you know I don’t do well with dead kids.”

“We’re gonna work on that. Where did the fire start?” Lance asks.

“Hunk is still figuring it out, but he thinks a trash can behind the school,” Shay replies. “He and Ezor are talking to parents right now.”

Keith looks out at the crowd of parents. “They didn’t deserve to lose their kids. When I get my hands on this serial arsonist, I’m gonna choke him to death.”

“As much as I’d love to watch, I strongly advise against that,” Lance counters.

“Well, he’ll have to get in line because Hunk already has first dibs,” Shay shares.

Lance opens his mouth to ask why, but he stops when he sees Hunk hugging a woman across the police line. “Who is Hunk talking to?”

“He has a sister in the area - oh no.” Keith puts his hands on his head and sighs.

“What? Does that sister have a kid that went here?” Lance asks.

“Yeah, a seven-year-old girl. That’s why I recognized the school! Her name is Kiara after her dad’s mom,” Keith answers. “I couldn’t connect the dots until now.” He shakes his head and turns back to Lance. “Hunk can’t work on this case.”

“You wanna be the one to tell him he’s off?” Shay scoffs. “Good luck with that.”

Keith narrows his eyes at her. “Lance?”

“Sorry, I’m with Shay. Until Shiro says otherwise, Hunk should stay on,” Lance says. “Besides, he can keep a cooler head than you can.”

Keith huffs, offended. “Not cool.”

“I know! You’re like this time bomb where whenever you’re set off by someone, they only have two seconds to run,” Lance states.

Keith simply gives Lance a small glare before carefully making his way around the crime scene so he doesn’t step on any bodies. “Have you noticed that the older kids seem to be laying on their backs whereas the little kids are cowering away?” he wonders, looking over at Lance.

Lance nods. “Yeah, what are your thoughts on that?”

“I think it looks like the older ones are accepting their fate like they know they’re gonna die.” Keith rubs his forehead. “Though, I don’t understand why our arsonist would change his MO to a grade school. Your profile said he had nothing against kids, it’s adults who wronged him or whatever.”

“I know,” Lance agrees. “Our arsonist also does maximum damage to the intended target building and the surrounding area.” He points out at the trees and the nearby playground that remain untouched by the flames from the fire. “Look, the trees are green and there’s not one scratch or burn on the playground.”

Keith shrugs. “Maybe the fire department got here in time before it could spread?”

“Then why did none of the kids survive the fire?” Lance wonders.

Keith opens his mouth to answer, but Ezor walks over with an annoyed expression on her face. “I interviewed all of the parents that were over there, but one of the mothers over there refused to cooperate. She demanded to talk to the agent leading the case, but I told her he wouldn’t be coming,” Ezor shares, rubbing her forehead.

“I’ll deal with her,” Keith offers. “Which one is she?”

“The blonde one with the obviously fake extensions,” Ezor replies. “Good luck.” She rolls her eyes and makes her way over to Shay and Coran.

Keith looks at Lance. “Am I up to this?”

“You’ll be fine, Keith,” Lance says, patting Keith’s shoulder. “You’re a leader at heart, I know it.”

Keith nods then makes his way over to a white woman with platinum blonde hair that looks very fake. When the woman notices him, she puts her phone away and looks at him with a stern expression. “Are you the agent in charge?” she demands.

“Yes,” Keith replies, holding out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane. What can I help you with?”

“My name is Meghan Nicholson and I demand to know what happened to my daughter! Who burned the school down!?” she questions.

“Ma’am, we’re working on it right now.” Keith pulls out his notepad and pen. “Why don’t you tell me a little about your daughter? It could help with our investigation.”

Meghan nods and takes a deep breath. “My daughter’s name is Nancy. She was in the seventh grade.” She reaches into her purse and pulls out a small picture then hands it to Keith. He takes it from her and sees it’s a school picture of Nancy. She has long blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a pointed chin.

“She’s very pretty,” Keith comments with a smile. “She gets her eye color from you?”

Meghan nods. “She’s my pride and joy. We lost her father a few years ago and it’s been hard ever since, but we’ve managed. She’s a tough girl. She was gonna play varsity soccer in high school.” She bites her lip and looks away from the burnt building. “What am I gonna do without her?”

Keith pats her shoulder. “It’s going to be hard now, but Nancy wouldn’t want you to stay like this. Now, were there any strange people hanging around the school that you noticed?”

Meghan shakes her head. “I don’t think so, but I never really came here unless it was for one of her games. Nancy took the bus home since I worked most hours of the day. She had a babysitter sit with her until I got home at five thirty each night.” She sniffles and wipes her cheeks.

Keith hands her his card. “If you can think of anything else, please contact me.”

“I will, thank you agent Kogane,” Megan says with a smile.

Keith returns the smile then makes his way over to Hunk when he finishes talking with his sister. “Hey, Hunk. How are you?”

Hunk scoffs. “I’ve been better.”

Keith places a hand on his shoulder. “How’s Talia?”

Hunk takes a deep breath and looks at the ground. “She’s a wreck. I-I’ve never seen her act like this.”

“We’re gonna catch the guy who did this, Hunk. That’s what we do,” Keith reassures him.

“How?!” Hunk demands. “It’s the serial arsonist. We’ve been looking for him for months. He’s gone by now.”

“Well,” Keith starts, “Lance and I don’t think this is his work.”

Hunk looks up at him with furrowed eyebrows. “What? How can it not be?”

Keith turns over to where Lance is talking with Coran and Ezor then leads Hunk over there. “Lance, why isn’t this the work of our serial arsonist?”

“It doesn’t fit the MO of wanting to do maximum damage,” Lance replies, turning to look at Keith and Hunk. “Not to mention my profile shows that he has no interest in children so he wouldn’t target areas where children typically are, like this school.”

Hunk rolls his eyes. “That’s not convincing enough! Who else would burn a school down?!”

“Where did the fire originate?” Lance asks.

“I said behind the school where the trash cans were,” Hunk replies. “What does this have to do with-”

Lance raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?

“Why are you questioning my ability to do my job? I’m the expert here,” Hunk states, crossing his arms.

“I’m questioning you because your judgment is clouded by the fact your niece was in this school,” Lance says.

“You have no right to say that. You have no idea what it feels like to lose someone like that!” Hunk exclaims, clenching his fists. “She was so young and had so much to live for! Now she’s gone…forever. So don’t even try to think you know what I’m going through.”

Lance opens his mouth to reply, but Keith steps forward before he can say anything. “Hunk, stand down right now. If you wanna yell at someone, have it be me, but you can’t deny the fact that Lance is right. You never act out like this.”

“Sometimes I do!” Hunk retorts.

“No, you don’t,” Shay says as she slowly walks over. “Hunk, honey, I know you…and this isn’t you.” She pulls off one of her gloves and wipes a tear off of Hunk’s cheek.

“Hunk, I’m sending you back to the station. Lance and I will finish up here,” Keith interrupts.

Hunk turns to look at Keith. “No! I haven’t finished determining where the bomb was started and how big it was and-”

“That’s enough,” Keith interjects. “Head back or I’ll have Shiro take you off this case.”

“I-”

“Tsuyoshi, don’t make me say it again,” Keith orders.

Hunk huffs in frustration then storms off towards the SUVs. Ezor bites her tongue and raises an eyebrow. “I’ll take him back.” She nods at Keith.

Keith waves her off then looks at Lance. “I know nothing about bombs except the one that tried to kill me way back when.”

“Right, well, I wouldn’t consider that knowledge, more like a near-death experience, but okay! Now, let’s break this down logically,” Lance begins. “Everyone in the school died from the fire, but how? And why?” He shakes his head. “Let’s start with the how.”

“Maybe the smoke alarms didn’t go off?” Keith suggests as Lance looks around the area.

Lance nods. “That’s my first thought, but we’ll have to confirm that somehow. Though, if that’s the case, how did no one see the smoke?” He suddenly turns to look at Keith. “Unless there wasn’t any smoke.”

Keith shakes his head. “You’ve lost me.”

“Alright, think back to chemistry and learning about chemical reactions. Fire is a result of combustion and smoke occurs when it’s incomplete,” Lance explains. “Clearly whoever did this did knew how to create a reaction that wouldn’t create smoke.”

“How smart would they have to be to know that?” Keith wonders.

“A simple google search would give you instructions, but I can’t confidently answer that question. Hunk would know the answer,” Lance replies.

Keith nods. “I’ll shoot Pidge a text to go over that with him. There has to be something else. This seems too controlled to not have a backup plan. The smoke detectors could have been disconnected along with the fire alarms in case someone did see it. I’ll have Pidge look into that as well.” He adds that to the message then sends it before putting his phone away. “I think we got everything we needed from the crime scene…you ready to go?”

“In a second,” Lance says as he walks over to another corner of the building. He pulls out some latex gloves and slips them on before kneeling down and picking something up. “I think there was a trigger of some sort here.” He stands up and waves one of the forensic specialists over. “Check around the perimeter for more of these and get everything back to Hunk.” Lance hands it to him then walks back over to Keith. “This guy knew what he was doing. I need to start on the profile.”

 

* * *

 

 

“What kind of sicko rigs up explosives to attack a Catholic grade school?!” Pidge demands, typing away in the conference room.

“They weren’t explosives, but I’m working on the why,” Lance says, writing on the whiteboard.

Ezor walks in with a piece of paper. “Okay! I made a list of the parents I talked to,” she says as she hands the list to Keith. “Pidge, could you get me a list of students who attended the school and their parents or guardians?”

“Ezor, what are you thinking?” Keith asks, looking over her notes.

Her eyes widen and she looks at Keith. “What? No, I just want to talk to the parents that weren’t there so they know what happened.” Keith looks at her and raises an eyebrow. “Fine. Maybe I’m doing it in case one of them saw someone stalking the school or something like that.”

Pidge hands Ezor a tablet. “There you go.” She crosses her arms. “Do you think it was religious discrimination?”

Lance turns around. “I don’t think so. There would’ve been a message left behind to taunt the Catholics.” He rubs his chin. “It seems so specifically directed…”

“Okay, could it have been a teacher who was fired?” Pidge wonders. “I can look and see who’s been fired.”

“Yeah, do that then we can compare it to the profile I’m slowly building,” Lance replies. “In the meantime, I think talking to the parents will be a big help.”

“Good because a few sets of parents just walked in,” Ezor says, setting her phone down. “How should we divide this up?”

Keith stands up. “I’ll take the single parents, we’ll get Hunk to talk to the ones he knows then, Ezor, you take the rest.”

Ezor nods. “Good idea.” She leads Keith outside the conference room and they see two sets of parents and a woman sitting alone, each waiting to be talked to.

“Okay, let me go get-” Keith starts, but Hunk walks into the room before he can finish.

“Ray, Mackenzie?!” Hunk asks.

One of the couples looks up and gasp when they see him. They stand up and each hug him, quickly getting into a conversation. Keith and Ezor exchange a knowing expression before walking over to the woman and the other couple. Keith approaches the woman while Ezor talks with the couple.

Keith extends his hand out to shake the woman’s hand. “Hi, I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane.”

“I’m Maria Mehra,” the woman introduces herself. “Do you know what happened to my son’s school?”

“We’re working on it, ma’am,” Keith says. He pulls up a chair to sit across from her then pulls out his notepad. “What’s your son’s name?”

“Nathaniel,” Maria answers. “Nate is his nickname. My husband and I named him after my father.”

Keith nods as he writes. “Where is your husband?”

Maria sighs and looks down at the ground. “I lost him to cancer three years ago.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Keith says sympathetically. “It must’ve been hard for you and Nate to adjust.”

“At first it was, but Nate’s a strong kid.” Maria nods, trying not to cry. “Even as a ten-year-old…nothing seemed to affect him.” She sniffles and wipes her eyes. “He was my everything, Agent Kogane. Please find out who did this.”

“That’s what I intend to do. Did your son ride the bus or did you pick him up?” Keith wonders.

“Um, I usually picked him up each day, but if I got held up at work, he’d get a ride from a friend who lives in the same neighborhood as us,” Maria answers.

“Did you ever notice any weird people hanging around the school to watch the kids?” Keith asks.

Maria shakes her head no. “Not that I recall. Though, I do remember Nate complaining about a science teacher who acts weird around the kids whenever they walk up to him to ask questions.”

Keith nods and writes it down. “Do you have the teacher’s name?”

“Um, Mister Bailey? I don’t remember his first name, sorry. He taught sixth-grade science so it’s been a while since Nate had him,” Maria responds. “Do you have any theories on who could’ve done this? Was it the serial arsonist?”

Keith finishes his thought in his notebook then shuts it. “Evidence points to no. Our team’s profiler said that the arsonist targets adults, not children.”

“Then who would do this?!” Maria demands. “My son was going to play varsity football for the Archbishop Carroll High school!”

“We don’t have enough evidence to know for-” Keith starts.

“I want  _ your _ opinion, Agent Kogane,” Maria states.

“My opinion? Someone within the school probably had a grudge against it so he or she took their rage out on it,” Keith replies.

Maria nods. “Okay, thank you.”

Keith hands her his card. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to call. Thank you for coming in Missus Mehra.” He motions for another agent to escort her out.

He talks with a few more single parents, as do Hunk and Ezor with couples. Each of them compiles information about who worked at the school, who hung around it, and who volunteered at it. Once no other parents came in to speak, Keith brought his notes back into the conference room where he finds Lance has covered the board in math and chemical equations.

“Whoa, okay, I didn’t know science class was put into session,” Ezor comments, walking in behind Keith.

“Yeah, Lance, what the hell?” Keith asks, setting his notepad down.

“Pidge and I were going over the calculations needed to start a fire without having smoke and there are very slim chances it could work,” Lance says. “This person would either have to know exactly what they’re doing or have gotten very lucky.”

“What about the pieces of the bombs scattered around the perimeter of the school?” Ezor asks.

“They weren’t bombs,” Hunk says from the doorway. “They were triggers set to catch on fire when turned on.”

Ezor sighs and sits down. “How is that different from a bomb?”

“To explain it simply, a bomb explodes and shit goes everywhere, these just caught on fire,” Hunk shares.

“Could a science teacher know how to set this up? Because some of the parents mentioned an odd science teacher,” Ezor says.

Keith nods in agreement. “Yeah, they mentioned one too. Pidge, can you do a search on a Mister Bailey?”

“Also compile a list of teachers who weren’t at the school at the time,” Lance says.

Pidge nods as she types. “Got it, okay, so three of the teachers were gone. Jeanne Brueckner, the second-grade teacher, was on a planned vacation with her family in Disney World.” She pulls up pictures from her Facebook on the projector. She’s smiling with her husband, two daughters, and son in front of Cinderella’s castle.

“Yeah, not her,” Lance says.

“Next is Diane Lawrance, eighth grade honors math teacher, was at a nationwide conference being honored for her students’ performance in a math competition,” Pidge shares.

Lance shakes his head no. “Next?”

“Lastly there’s William Bailey who is the sixth-grade science teacher. He claimed to be out sick,” Pidge says. “Now this guy has a criminal record. He used to be on the sex offender list.”

Keith nods and stands up. “Alright, Ezor and I will go-”

“No, I’m coming with you,” Hunk interrupts.

“Hunk, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Keith starts.

“No, it’s okay. I can go fill Shiro and Allura in on what we’ve got,” Ezor says.

Keith nods. “Fine, but one outburst and I’ll have you taken off this case, understand?”

“I understand, Keith,” Hunk says firmly.

Keith turns to look at Lance. “You okay sitting this one out?”

“I’ll be fine, Keith. I’m finishing up the profile anyway,” Lance replies with a chuckle.

Pidge types a couple things on her computer then Keith’s phone buzzes. “I just sent his address to your phone. Please be careful - Keith, don’t be a hero.”

“You know that’s my middle name,” Keith retorts, ruffling her hair as he follows Hunk out. He grabs keys and they make their way to the elevator to head down to the parking garage. “Any word from your sister? How’s she and Markus holding up?”

“They’re planning the funeral,” Hunk replies. “It’s on Friday and she wants the team there. She even asked if you would help carry the casket along with myself, Aleki, and Markus.”

Keith raises an eyebrow as the elevator opens. “Really? Wow…I don’t know what to say. Why me?”

Hunk leads Keith to the SUV and gets in the passenger’s side as Keith gets into the driver’s side. “Because you’re an important part of my life, Keith and my big sister wants to honor that. Besides, my parents adore you.”

“Even when I nearly got blown up because of my own selfish choices?” Keith asks as he pulls out of the parking garage.

“You know they were so worried about you. We all were,” Hunk says. “Who do you think brought you all those flowers?”

“I thought that was Shay.” Keith looks left and right before turning right out of the parking garage.

“Some were Shay, but the others were my mom,” Hunk shares. “Do you always drive like this?” He grips the armrests as Keith soars down the road.

“Like what?”

“A speed demon!” Hunk exclaims. “KEITH!”

Keith takes a sharp right turn and continues down the road, chuckling at Hunk’s panicked screams. “Dude, chill, I’m a great driver!”

“How does Lance handle this?!” Hunk demands.

“He’s gotten used to it,” Keith replies. “Check my phone for the address again.”

Hunk lifts it up and pulls up the conversation between him and Pidge. “Uh, twelve thirty-six Vienna street,” he reads. “Take the next left up here then it should be on the right.”

Keith does as told and takes a left and drives down the street until he spots the house. It’s smaller than the other houses in the neighborhood and a little more beat-up. A teacher’s salary is lower than it should be so Keith doesn’t blame the guy. He parks the car across the street and he and Hunk get out then walk up to William Bailey’s front door. Keith knocks on the door and waits a couple seconds for an answer, but when he doesn’t get one, he knocks again. “Mister Bailey? This is the FBI. We have a couple questions to ask you,” Keith says.

Another minute passes and no response. Keith pulls out his gun and nods at Hunk to pull his out too. Keith checks the doorknob to see if it’s locked and when he finds that it is, he kicks the door open, pointing his gun. He hears shuffling in the kitchen and something shatter on the ground. “Who’s there?!” Keith demands.

“Stay back! I’m armed!” a man shouts.

Keith points for Hunk to go around the back way, then Keith makes his way through the dining room. “Drop your weapon!” Keith orders as he rounds the corner, but he quickly moves away when he sees the barrel of a shotgun being held by William Bailey himself. “Mister Bailey, you don’t want to do that.”

“How do I know you’re really the FBI!” he shouts.

Keith holds out his badge for him to see. He hears William put the gun down and walk out into the dining room where Keith is. Keith keeps his gun trained on William as Hunk pulls out handcuffs and begins cuffing him.

“What! What are you doing?!” William demands.

“Arresting you for holding a gun on an agent,” Keith says. “And you are under arrest for the burning of Holy Trinity School along with the murder of everyone inside it. You have the right to remain silent.”

“No! I didn’t do this!” William protests.

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by state,” Keith says, ignoring William as he pushes him out of the house towards the SUV.

Hunk narrows his eyes at William. “I hope you’re ready to burn for this crime.”

 

* * *

 

 

Keith walks into the observation room next to the interrogation room holding a cup of coffee where Lance is watching William pace around. He hands Lance the coffee then crosses his arms. “Has he said anything?” Keith wonders.

“Surprisingly no!” Lance exclaims, taking a sip of the coffee. “Damn, I still don’t understand how you make this taste like this.”

“It’s a gift,” Keith replies nonchalantly. “How long has he been pacing?”

“Since you dropped him off in there,” Lance replies. “How was Hunk when you two arrested him?”

“Well, before William nearly blew my head off with a shotgun, Hunk was calm about it,” Keith shares. “He put the handcuffs on him, but other than that no outbursts.”

Lance raises an eyebrow at Keith. “He almost blew your head off with a shotgun?”

Keith frowns and shakes his head. “Come on, you know me.” He elbows Lance playfully. “Not even a bomb can take me out, so what’s a stupid little shotgun gonna do?”

Lance rolls his eyes but drops the topic when Hunk walks in. “Keith, you ready to tackle this guy?” Hunk asks. “Pidge is working on a complete background check on him. She’ll bring it into the room once she compiles everything.”

“Um, I didn’t know you’d be in there with me. How long has it been since you’ve interrogated a suspect?” Keith wonders. “Hunk, Lance and I can handle this by ourselves.”

“Keith, please give this to me. I promised Talia I’d get this guy,” Hunk says.

Keith looks at Lance and he gives a small nod. “Fine, but if you pull anything I’d usually pull, you’re done. Got it?”

Hunk nods. “I understand…thank you, Keith.” He leads Keith into the interrogation room and takes a seat across the chair where William would sit.

When Keith and Hunk enter, William turns and glares at the both of them. “You had no right to arrest me! I didn’t do anything!”

Keith opens his mouth to reply, but Pidge walks in with a file in her hand. She gives William a disgusted look before handing Keith the file. Keith nods in thanks to her then opens it up, glancing at it. “Hmm, looks like someone had some fun ten years ago harassing women,” Keith reads.

“Preposterous! I-” William starts.

“No, you’re done making up bullshit,” Keith interrupts, slamming the file down. “Sit down.”

“I will not-”

“I said sit down,” Keith orders. “ _ Now _ .”

William does as told and sits down across from them. Hunk looks at Keith and William and waits for Keith to say something. “So, how’d you get off the sex offender list? I’m sure a nice Catholic school like Holy Trinity wouldn’t want an ex-offender on their faculty,” Keith states.

William sighs. “I made a deal. I’d go see someone about my problems and do community service in exchange for the record to be hidden.”

Keith crosses his arms and leans back. “That seems too easy.”

“It was! I swear!” William exclaims. “I never touched anyone…I just stalked them.”

“Says here you broke into your neighbor’s house when you saw her changing,” Keith says, reading off of Pidge’s file. “Look, judging from your record here, you’re barely competent enough to teach sixth-grade science. How’d you pull that one off? Actually, I don’t care because you’re out of a job anyway. The only question I wanna know is why?” Inside, Keith knows William didn’t do this, but he’s definitely guilty of something. If only Lance was in here to pick up on this too.

“I didn’t do anything!” William protests. “Agent, please, you have to believe me.”

“Liar!” Hunk shouts suddenly. “You harassed the children constantly. Parents have told us that their kids always complained about you! Did you get sick of the complaints and decide to set the school on fire?! I’ll tell you what, you’re a coward and a sicko! My niece is dead because of you, you sick son of a bitch! I ought to-”

Keith shuts the file and stands up, grabbing Hunk’s arm. He brings him out of the interrogation room, slamming the door shut in the process. “I gave you a warning and what did you do? Completely disobeyed my orders! What the  _ hell _ were you thinking?! Couldn’t you tell he wasn’t the one behind it?!” Keith asks.

“Look, I just panicked okay? I’m a little rusty!” Hunk exclaims. “He seemed good for it!”

“Don’t give me shit. You’re done,” Keith states. “You’re off this case. Go figure out what the fire starters were made of or go home. Don’t make me say it again.”

As Hunk storms off in anger, Keith finally notices Shiro, Allura, and Ezor standing to the side watching the exchange of words. Allura raises her hands in surrender. “I heard nothing,” she says, turning around to walk to the elevator.

Ezor pats Keith on the shoulder before joining Lance in the observation room. Shiro takes a step towards Keith and Keith immediately takes a defensive pose. “I gave Hunk two warnings then he acted out.”

“I wasn’t going to yell at you, I was actually going to say good work,” Shiro compliments. “I would’ve done the same thing.”

“Really? You seem more lenient with me,” Keith counters with a raised eyebrow.

Shiro chuckles. “Well, that’s just how you are, but you’ve gotten better, thanks to Lance. Though, I think you should send Ezor and Lance in there now. We can stand behind the glass.”

Keith agrees and follows Shiro into the room. Lance and Ezor turn when they enter. “Hey, Lance was just going over with me what Keith got from the guy. Apparently, he’s barely qualified to teach sixth graders about science,” Ezor shares.

“Alright, so he’s not our guy,” Shiro concludes. “Why haven’t we released him yet?”

“He’s hiding something,” Keith and Lance say simultaneously.

Lance points at Keith. “Jinx and he doesn’t fit my profile. Whoever did this was mission-oriented and William didn’t really have any feuds with the school. Why would he burn down the place that gave him a second chance?” Lance asks.

Shiro nods thoughtfully. “Okay, well you and Ezor go in there and get that from him. Maybe he saw something.”

Ezor salutes Shiro then leads Lance into the interrogation room. Lance starts with apologizing for what happened before then proceeds to ask if he can get William anything. Keith gets into the conversation before Shiro mutes the microphones in the interrogation room and says, “So, I finally got word of what happened with your interview with my bosses.”

Keith sighs and looks down. “I know I acted out against them, but they had no right to accuse me of that. You know I wouldn’t jeopardize the bureau or the team like that. I got word from my mom and I had to act…I didn’t think.”

“I know, Keith, but if you’re going to lead this team one day, you can’t be thinking selfishly,” Shiro replies.

“Who says I even want to do that? You know I don’t like following the rules,” Keith states, crossing his arms.

Shiro chuckles. “I know that too, but you’re meant for bigger and greater things. Besides, I’m getting old and someone has to replace me as team leader…why not you?”

Keith huffs and uncrosses his arms. “I’m allergic to paperwork.”

“We all are,” Shiro says with a laugh. “I’ve scheduled another meeting for you to talk with them. I told them the nature of what happened and the steps you’ve made to make up for what you did. They have a better understanding of what you’ve been through and I think Alfor will be there this time.”

Keith scoffs and looks away. “You really want out of here, don’t you?”

“Actually, I’ll be moving to train new agents. I find that to be less stressful…and fun to mess with the new prospects a bit,” Shiro shares with a smile.

“Is this your last case with us?” Keith asks.

“Heavens no!” Shiro exclaims. “You don’t have enough hours clocked in, not to mention you’re way too young, but I want you lined up and ready to go the moment I turn in my gun and badge.”

Keith turns back and looks at Shiro. “When will that be?”

“Not sure but not anytime soon,” Shiro replies. “Allura’s already all for it and loves the idea.”

“Who else knows?”

“No one yet, but I’ll leave it up to you to tell the others when you’re ready.”

Keith nods. “When’s my next meeting with your bosses?”

“Saturday morning. They wanted Friday, but I told them about Hunk’s nieces funeral that day and they said Saturday morning was fine,” Shiro answers.

Keith nods and then watches as Lance and Ezor get up then leave the interrogation room. Shiro leads Keith out of the observation room and they see Lance walk into the meeting room while Ezor walks up to Shiro and Keith.

“I’m not sure if you guys were listening or not, but I saw the mic light shut off. Anyway, William told us that a lot of people were fired last year,” Ezor shares.

“Did he say why?” Shiro wonders.

Ezor nods. “Some budget cuts and others how they acted.”

“Pidge should run Lance’s profile against the list of fired people. The guy who did this was mission-oriented,” Keith says.

“That’s literally what Lance was about to do…can you read each other’s minds?” Ezor asks with wide eyes.

Shiro chuckles and pats Keith’s shoulder. “You know, sometimes I ask myself that same question, Ezor. Good work, though, let me know if you get a hit!”

Once Shiro’s gone, Ezor smirks at Keith. “In those little sessions you have with Lance…what exactly happens during them?”

“Therapy,” Keith replies with a dull tone. “Are we done here? Because there’s a child burner on the loose and it’s not sitting well with me.”

“Riiiiight, okay,” Ezor responds as they walk to the meeting room. “I’ll get you to open up, Keith. Even if it takes me getting another bionic limb.”

“Speaking of which, do they ever get uncomfortable?” Keith wonders as he opens the door for her.

“Not really? I mean sometimes a wire gets out of whack, but other than that no,” Ezor replies, plopping down in a chair.

Keith crosses his arms. “Waterproof?”

“Oh, you’re lucky the man who designed these isn’t here…he’d be offended,” Ezor says with a smirk.

“So, a guy designed them? Thanks for the clue.” Keith chuckles at her annoyed expression.

“Guys, that’s not helping right now,” Lance says as Pidge pulls up a list of names. “Okay, we’re looking for a guy, so take away all the women. This guy is a patient sadist so he’d want to watch his work slowly unfold. Take away anyone who doesn’t have kids.”

“Okay, you’ve lost me. Why-” Pidge starts.

“Kids require a lot of patience to take care of. Literally just ask anyone who has had kids. My ma and pa could go off on the troubles they had raising my siblings and myself,” Lance explains.

“Got it, okay, eight names. What else?” Pidge asks.

“This guy clearly has rage against the school so probably someone who had or has anger issues?” Ezor suggests.

“But Keith’s not on this list,” Pidge jokes with a smirk.

Keith huffs, offended and whacks her lightly with a piece of paper. “Rude!”

“If Keith ever committed a murder, he wouldn’t use fire because it’d be too slow,” Lance says.

“Wouldn't he use a knife since he’s obsessed with them?” Ezor asks. “I’m pretty sure he’s got like three on him right now.”

Lance nods. “Definitely, but, as his psychologist, I can confidently say I’d prevent any murders he’d want to commit.”

“Can we not talk about my bloodthirst? Thanks,” Keith says sarcastically.

“I have three names,” Pidge interjects, changing the topic back to the case.

“What’d they get fired for?” Lance asks.

“The first one is Bartholomew Rogers. He was fired because he took too many sick days to go to the casino,” Pidge reads. “I guess he won big because he now lives in California in a huge-ass mansion.”

“Nope, not him,” Lance says.

“Next is Carl Hendrickk who was let go because of budget cuts and because he’s like a bazillion years old,” Pidge shares.

“No.”

“Lastly we have Kenny Revols who was fired for - wow - threatening the principal! He threw a chair at him then stormed out, according to the report,” Pidge says.

“That’s him.” Lance turns to Keith. “Shall we?”

“Actually, why don’t you and Ezor go have some fun?”

Lance nods and sets his marker down then leaves with Ezor. When they’re gone, Pidge turns to Keith. “Why did you do that?”

Keith sighs and looks fondly at Shiro’s office. “Practice.”

“Practice for what? Getting rid of Lance once and for all?” Pidge asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I might lead this team one day, Pidge,” Keith shares. “I have to be okay with sitting back and letting others do some things.”

“So, Shiro  _ is _ retiring,” Pidge concludes.

“Not anytime soon, but I have another meeting with his bosses Saturday morning,” Keith says with a sigh.

“Keith! That’s amazing!” Pidge exclaims. “Why don’t you sound happier?”

Keith stands up and walks over to the meeting room doors, shutting them. He looks around to see if anyone’s watching, but it seems that everyone is preoccupied with something. Keith walks back over to Pidge and sits next to her. “Because I can’t lead the team,” he says.

Pidge scoffs. “You’re doing a pretty good job right now.”

Keith sighs. “Pidge, we’re going behind everyone’s back and looking into Matt’s and my mother’s cases…a real team leader wouldn’t do this.”

“Do you want to stop?” Pidge wonders.

“No, hell no,” Keith denies. “But that’s the problem! That’s why I can never fill Shiro’s shoes! I’m not afraid to go behind people’s backs and do what I think is right.”

Pidge pushes her computer away and turns to Keith, smiling at him. “I still think you’d be a great team leader! Unconventional, but reliable and trustworthy.”

Keith nods. “Thanks, that means a lot.”

About another forty-five or so minutes pass before Keith sees the elevator open and Lance walk out, holding the upper part of his arm. Ezor walks out shortly after with a man in handcuffs who Keith presumes to be Kenny Revols. He struggles a bit against Ezor, but she yells something at him and he quiets down as she takes him into the interrogation room. Once in there, Ezor walks back out, shutting the door behind her. Lance walks up to her and she motions for him to move his hand off his arm. When he does, Keith notices a white bandage there with a splotch of red. Keith immediately stands up and storms out of the room over to Lance and Ezor.

“What the hell happened?! I don’t go with you for  _ one _ arrest and you get shot?!” Keith demands.

Lance chuckles and shakes his head. “It’s fine, Keith. I’m okay.”

“You were shot!” Keith turns to Ezor. “Why didn’t you have his back?!”

Ezor bites her tongue and looks away. “He took that bullet for me. I didn’t tell him to, he just did it.”

“Well, why don’t you go sit with Pidge? Lance and I can handle this interview, alright?” Keith points towards the meeting room.

Ezor turns and glares at Keith. “Maybe instead of placing the blame on me, you ask yourself why you weren’t there to help him.” She storms off towards the meeting room and slams the door shut.

Keith groans and rubs his forehead. “I’m going to get gray hair. How is Shiro this calm?” He shakes his head. “Never mind. How did you get shot?”

“It just grazed my arm, Keith. I’m fine,” Lance assures him. “Please don’t blow it out of proportion. Let me do the talking in there and I’ll let you know when to jump in.”

Keith nods. “Okay…okay.”

Lance gives Keith a smile then leads him into the interrogation room. Kenny looks up from the desk and raises an eyebrow when he sees Keith’s scowl. “Yeesh, what’s with the glare, Agent?” he asks.

Keith bites his tongue to prevent himself from yelling at him. He quietly takes a seat across from Kenny and waits for Lance to start talking. Kenny looks at Lance when he sits down. Lance winces slightly when he moves his sore arm. Keith would  _ love _ to start yelling at Kenny, but he knows that won’t help the situation - besides, he just took Hunk off the case for that exact reason.

“So, Kenny, wanna tell us why you pulled a gun out when I went to your house?” Lance wonders.

“I felt threatened! And I heard a shot so I fired!” Kenny exclaims.

Keith furrows his eyebrows and turns to Lance. “You fired on him?”

Lance shakes his head no. “I-”

“The crazy girl agent that was with him did!” Kenny exclaims. “I swear she-”

“Sir, that’s enough. We already discussed this, alright? Why did you have a gun on you when we knocked?” Lance asks.

“I live in a bad part of town,” Kenny replies. “Can’t be too careful. It’s registered, I swear.”

Lance nods. “Okay, we’ll check on that. Let’s talk about Holy Trinity School. Did you hear about what happened?”

“I did! It’s a shame!” Kenny exclaims. “Lotta good kids went to that school. Even the principal was starting to see things my way.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lance asks.

“The stuff we’d use in class was old and not really working anymore so I asked the principal to work on getting new equipment for the kids, but he wasn’t having it. A kid almost got seriously injured with one of the workplaces and that was the last straw for me. I confronted the principal, but he didn’t believe me,” Kenny explains.

Lance gives Keith a curt nod, signaling for him to jump in. Keith clears his throat. “Is that when you threw the chair?” he asks.

Kenny sighs. “I’m not proud of that and I went to anger management sessions after that instead of the principal pressing charges. I was fighting for the kids, agents. I’d never do anything to hurt them.”

Keith nods then stands up. “Okay, thank you Mister Revols, you’re free to go now.” He walks out of the interrogation room, quickly followed by Lance. Keith signals to another agent to escort Kenny out.

“Keith, why’d you let him go?!” Lance demands.

“He’s not our guy,” Keith replies.

Lance rubs his forehead. “How do you know that?”

“Because it sounded like he really cared about those kids. Trust me, Lance, if my gut tells me I can trust an adult, I’m usually right,” Keith replies. He turns and looks at the clock, seeing it’s nearly five. “I think tomorrow we should revisit your profile. Something seems off about it.”

Lance sighs. “Okay. I’ve got a date with Nyma today so might as well go home and get ready.”

“Sounds good!” Keith exclaims. “Good job today. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lance waves goodbye as he makes his way towards his office, shutting the door after he walks in it. Keith makes his way back to the meeting room and once he walks in, Pidge and Ezor stop talking. “Hey, Keith,” Pidge greets.

“I know you guys were talking about me,” Keith states. “I’m not an idiot. Ezor, what happened when you went to get-” He stops talking abruptly when he sees her left arm has been removed and is sitting on the table. “What’s that doing off?”

“It’s malfunctioning,” Ezor says. “That’s why I fired the gun. My finger twitched and pulled the trigger.”

“Ezor, you could get in serious trouble for that!” Keith exclaims. “Do you know why it’s doing that?”

She shakes her head no. “There’s only one person who can fix it, but he’s not here. Unless Pidge will-”

“No, I can’t. I told you it’s custom and only he can fix it,” Pidge interrupts. “Besides, it’ll be too difficult.”

Keith narrows his eyes. “Wait, did Matt Holt design and make those?”

“Bingo,” Ezor replies dully. “I’d clap, but circumstances prevent me.”

“I don’t think you should come out into the field until that’s fixed,” Keith says. “Pidge, please look at it. You could have Hunk help you out.”

Pidge sighs. “Fine! Fine. Also, Hunk finally got what the sensor things were. Turns out they were miniature bombs rigged to burst into flames when electricity was sent to it. They’re custom made.”

“How smart do you have to be to build something like that?” Keith asks.

“Very…like Hunk-level smart,” Pidge replies.

“Wow, okay, well we’ll address it tomorrow,” Keith says. “I’m going to fill Shiro in so you guys are free to head home.”

Pidge shuts her laptop. “Thank god! Ezor, you can come with me to my house and we can try to figure out what the hell went wrong with your arm, okay? My dad can help us out too.”

Ezor nods. “Thanks. I don’t think I should drive anyway.” She nods at Keith then follows Pidge out, holding her prosthetic arm with her right hand.

Keith grabs the files from the table then heads towards Shiro’s office to give them to him. He goes to knock but stops when he hears two voices from inside. Keith recognizes one as Shiro’s and the other as Hunk’s.

“-not fair! He doesn’t have the authority to remove me off the case!” Hunk exclaims.

“I gave him the lead on this, Hunk. Yes he does,” Shiro replies calmly. “You acted out after Keith gave you warnings.”

“He acts out all the time and you don’t do anything about it!” Hunk shouts. “How is that fair?”

“You know he’s been through a lot. Lance is working on it and Keith is improving,” Shiro states. “I don’t want to discuss this with you anymore. If you want back on the case, talk to Keith. It’s out of my hands.”

Hunk groans in irritation and yanks open the door, jumping when he sees Keith. “Oh! You scared me.”

Keith raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. “Good work with figuring out what the sensors were. Pidge told me you got back to her on it. See what you can do when you’re not focused on someone else’s part of the job?”

“Keith, I-” Hunk starts.

“It’s fine,” Keith interrupts. “You can head home now. I just need to give these files to Shiro.” He steps aside so Hunk can pass then walks into the office. Keith hands Shiro the papers. “That’s everything we’ve got so far. We’re going to revisit Lance’s profile tomorrow to see if it gets us a new lead.”

Shiro nods. “Okay, good work Keith. I think my bosses will be happy to know about the good work you’ve done with this case. Is there anything else?”

Keith shakes his head no, deciding not to tell him about the incident that Ezor and Lance had with Kenny Revols. “See you tomorrow Shiro.” He walks out of Shiro’s office and heads to his desk to get his keys, helmet, and bag. Once he has everything, he heads to the parking garage to get his bike before driving home.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day at the station, Keith sits in the meeting room with Pidge, Lance, and Ezor as they begin to revisit Lance’s initial profile. Lance writes down the main points on the whiteboard while Keith wracks his brain for the missing piece or something that is wrong with it. It’s definitely someone close to the school, but none of the teachers seem to be the culprit. Who else could be close to the school that isn’t a teacher?

Wait a minute.

“What if it’s a parent?” Keith suddenly asks out loud.

Lance stops writing on the board and Pidge stops typing on her computer. Ezor tilts her head in confusion. “Why would a parent want to set their child’s school on fire?” she wonders.

“I can think of many reasons. Pidge, pull up that list of parents names again,” Keith instructs. “Okay, remove the ones that came to the scene.”

“It’s still a big list, Keith,” Pidge says as she types. “If you’ll just tell me what you’re looking-”

“Now remove the ones who came when we contacted them,” Keith continues.

Pidge sighs but does as told. Another chunk of the names disappear, leaving less than ten. “I have nine names: three couples and three single parents. I still don’t know what you’re getting at.”

Keith looks at Lance then back at Pidge. “Take the couples away.”

Lance chuckles. “Keith…that’s brilliant!”

“What am I missing here?” Ezor wonders. “Pidge?”

“Don’t look at me!” Pidge exclaims. She types a few things and three names stay on the screen. “Keith, what are you thinking?”

“Okay, Lance profiled this guy as mission-oriented, right? Well, I’d say a pretty big mission would be to get rid of his kid,” Keith explains. “Pull up background on these three.”

“Why not just drown the kid or something…jeez. Okay, the first one is a single dad named Benjamin Mayers who is stationed overseas,” Pidge shares. “Aw…that’s so sad! His daughter is dead and he doesn’t even know.”

“We’ll have Shiro send a message. Who’s next?” Lance asks.

“Next is Mike Bakers who had a daughter at the school, but he doesn’t have custody of her. He hasn’t paid child support in the last three weeks,” Pidge reads.

“That’s gotta be our guy,” Keith concludes.

“What’s his job?” Ezor asks.

“He’s an engineer for a company called Jacobs, but was fired a month ago for coming to work high on weed,” Pidge replies.

“Who’s the last guy? We can’t jump to conclusions right now,” Lance says.

“Okay, well, the last guy is Gerald Nathers who won custody battle of his ten-year-old son from his addict wife,” Pidge shares. “I really doubt it’s him because his Facebook is filled with pictures of him and his son. They like going to baseball games together.” She pulls up the Facebook page to show them.

“Why didn’t he come when we contacted?” Keith asks.

“Uh…oh, because he’s been on a company retreat for the past two weeks. He gets back tomorrow,” Pidge answers. “I’ll send his secretary an email.”

“Mike Bakers it is then!” Keith exclaims. “Let’s go.”

“Address sent to your phones! Be careful!” Pidge shouts after them.

Keith leaves the meeting room with Ezor and Lance but stops them before they can head to the elevator. “We should get Hunk to come with. In case this guy has any other tricks up his sleeve, we’ll need him in there,” Keith says. He looks at Ezor. “How’s your arm?”

“Pidge fixed it,” Ezor replies. “I don’t know how, but somehow she did.”

Keith nods. “Good. We don’t need a repeat of what happened before.”

“Keith,” Lance warns. “I thought I told you to stop.” He ignores Keith’s eyeroll and continues to the elevator. “Ezor and I will meet you and Hunk by the SUV. Good luck.” He winks at Keith then presses the down button on the elevator.

Keith sighs and makes his way over to Hunk’s office, knocking on the door. Hunk looks up from his paperwork and frowns when he sees Keith. “Here to yell at me some more? I’m just finishing up the work on the makeup of the devices to get to Shiro,” he says.

“We found the guy who did this,” Keith shares. “I want you there with us when we arrest him. He could have more stuff set up and we need your expertise.”

Hunk blinks, clearly surprised. “Oh, uh, yeah! Okay. Let me just grab my gun…” He opens a drawer, fumbling a bit with the stuff inside it before pulling his gun out.

“You don’t keep it on you?” Keith wonders with a raised eyebrow.

“I do when I go in the field, but not in my office and workshop. Something could go wrong and I don’t really want the entire building to explode,” Hunk answers, gesturing for Keith to walk out of his office. He shuts and locks the door then follows Keith to the elevator. “Anyway, why’d you change your mind?”

“I think your sister would like to hear that you got the guy and handcuffed him,” Keith says with a smile, pressing the down button on the elevator.

“Speaking of which, who is it?” Hunk asks as he and Keith step into the elevator.

“His name is Mike Bakers,” Keith says. “He-”

“Bakers did it?! Oh, I should’ve known!” Hunk exclaims. “Jennifer Bakers, his daughter, was Kiara’s best friend! He’s a total scumbag who never paid child support on time according to what I heard from his ex-wife through Talia. He apparently has this workshop in the basement where he’s always making random shit. His wife got fed up with him so she took Jennifer and they moved in with her sister.”

“Wait, he has a workshop in his basement?” Keith asks.

Hunk nods. “Not to mention he always threatened his wife and daughter.”

“Hunk, that’s really helpful!” Keith exclaims as they walk to where Ezor and Lance are waiting.

“What’s really helpful?” Lance asks as he gets into the passenger’s seat.

Keith hops in the driver’s seat while Hunk and Ezor get in the back. “Hunk said that Mike Bakers never paid child support on time and that he has a workshop in the basement where he’s always making things. Also that he always threatened his wife and daughter.”

“I should’ve seen it before, but I was too distracted,” Hunk says sheepishly as Keith pulls out of the parking garage.

“It’s not your fault, Hunk,” Lance reassures. “Any of us would’ve reacted like you did if we knew one of the victims.”

Hunk nods and turns to look out the window. Ezor clears her throat and furrows her eyebrows. “Keith, how did you know to target the single parents? It seems like too lucky of a guess.”

“It was more of a hunch,” Keith replies. “Back when I was a kid in foster care, the other foster kids and I would swap stories of different homes we’ve been in or experiences we had with our parents. Some of those kids told me that they were there because one of their parents didn’t want to pay child support so the other one couldn’t afford to take care of them. They said they sometimes thought they were going to die since they heard their parents call them a useless burden.”

“Oh…I’m sorry that happened,” Ezor says.

“I am too.” Keith tightens his grip on the wheel. “That’s why I hate cases like this where kids are the victims. They didn’t ask to be put on this planet so why should they suffer?”

Keith leaves that thought in their minds as they approach Mike’s house. He parks across the street and they get ready to head inside. “Okay, Hunk and Ezor go around back while Lance and I take the front,” Keith instructs as he puts on a bulletproof vest. “Remember, this guy could be armed and dangerous. If he happens to have something waiting, let Lance do the talking and distract him while Hunk works on figuring out what it is.”

Ezor buckles her bulletproof vest then looks at Keith. “What happens if Lance can’t talk him out of it?”

“Well, if you have a shot, take it,” Keith responds, shutting the doors.

They each split up and Keith watches Hunk and Ezor walk around back before he and Lance walk up to the front door. Lance pulls out his gun and nods at Keith, signaling that he’s ready to walk in. Keith pulls out his gun as well then kicks the door open, unfazed as it slams against the wall. He points his gun and aims it in the living room, continuing around the room into the dining room. Lance follows behind him, covering Keith’s six.

Keith sees Ezor and Hunk walk in through the back and go the other way around the house. Once they’re out of sight, Keith gestures to the basement door and Lance opens it, allowing Keith to head down the stairs first. Once downstairs, he finds Mike in front of a makeshift bomb of sorts, holding a button which Keith presumes to be the detonator.

“Stay away!” Mike exclaims. “I’ll press it!”

“You don’t want to do that, Mike,” Lance warns, making his way down the stairs with his gun pointed. “Let’s talk this through.”

Keith scans the room and notices another entrance to the basement from the outside. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hunk and Ezor standing at the top of the stairs. Keith takes a deep breath before speaking. “There’s another way out of here, Mike. you don’t have to go out  _ this way _ . You could walk outside with your life.” Keith silently hopes Ezor and Hunk got the message of the other entrance down here.

Ezor nods and lightly shoves Hunk away while they look outside for the other entrance. Keith’s attention goes back to Mike when he talks again. “My life ended when my wife took herself and my rotten daughter away! I still had to support those useless bitches! I’m not going to prison.”

“Press that button and your wife wins,” Lance interjects.

Keith stops listening to Lance when he notices the other door opening quietly. He makes sure to keep his head faced at Mike, but his eyes stay on Hunk and Ezor as they quietly walk into the room, staying out of Mike’s line of sight. Hunk furrows his eyebrows at the bomb and shakes his head. He slowly approaches it, looking it over to try to figure it out. His eyes suddenly widen and he looks at Keith, mouthing:  _ it’s armed _ .

Ezor then aims her gun at Mike and steps into his line of sight. Lance looks at her then back at Mike. “Your best option is to come with us,” Lance states.

Mike scowls. “No, this is my best option.” He lifts his thumb up and presses the button.

Keith’s eyes widen in fear, the scene flashing back to Haxus in that hallway then back to Mike with the detonator. He lunges at Mike, reaching for the hand with the button in it. Both hands clamp over the hand, keeping the thumb pressed down on the button so the bomb doesn’t go off. Mike begins to struggle with Keith, trying to pull his hands away so the bomb will go off. Keith turns his head when he hears a gunshot come from Lance. A bullet whizzes past his head and hits Mike right in the heart. Mike coughs and his breath hitches before he stops struggling and goes still.

“Hunk! Now would be a great time to stop that thing from blowing up!” Keith exclaims, trying to regain his composure. Is this what a panic attack feels like? “It feels like I just ran seven marathons. What’s happening?”

“Keith, just breathe, okay? Hunk’s going to get you out of this,” Lance reassures him, kneeling down next to him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Keith turns and looks at Lance with wide eyes. He winces when he feels a sharp pain in his chest, thinking back to when Lance had to disarm the bomb in the video game store. Would this be the time he finally dies?

“I’m working on it!” Hunk exclaims, breaking Keith out of his thoughts. “It’s a fairly simple design now that I look at it, but the bastard used the same color wires!”

“He never attended to come out of this alive,” Ezor comments.

Lance reaches for Keith’s shoulder. “Keith-”

Keith shakes his head. “Don’t.” He looks back at Hunk who is sorting through the wires.

He huffs in frustration and wipes his forehead. “I have a guess, but I don’t know if it’s right!”

“Just do it!” Ezor and Lance yell simultaneously.

Hunk snips the wire and Keith winces, bracing himself for it to explode, but nothing happens.

“Holy shit,” Hunk comments breathlessly.

Keith opens his eyes, breathing heavily. He slowly releases the pressure on Mike’s thumb, the button raising back up. Once deemed safe, he drops Mike’s hand and leans back against a wall. “Why is it always bombs?” he wonders, looking up at Lance.

Lance laughs, relieved and pulls Keith to his feet to hug him. Keith feels Lance squeeze him tightly as if he were to let go, Keith would disappear. “I think it’s just your shitty luck.”

Keith chuckles. “I’d drink to that.”

Ezor kneels down next to Mike’s body and checks for a pulse but stops halfway when she sees where Lance shot him. “Wow, that’s a great shot, Lance,” she comments.

Lance releases Keith, patting his shoulder then looks at Ezor. “I was a sniper in the army.”

Ezor stands back up. “Huh…that explains it.”

“I’ll call Shay and forensics to tell them to get here,” Hunk says, changing the subject.

“Good work, Hunk. Talia will be proud to know what you did here,” Keith says, finally calming down.

Hunk smiles. “Thank you, Keith, but I’m still telling Pidge you almost got blown up again.

“Uh, well, then I’m telling Shay you guessed on disarming the bomb and almost killed yourself and all of us,” Keith counters.

“Okay! Let’s not do that!” Hunk exclaims. “Truce?” He holds out his hand for Keith to shake.

Keith chuckles, reaching out to shake his hand. “Truce."

 

* * *

 

_ Kiara’s Visitation _

* * *

 

 

Keith arrives at the funeral home early since Hunk asked him to be there. He gets off his motorcycle and is about to take his helmet off when two little girls run up to him. “COOL BIKE!” the taller of the two shouts as she begins to poke at it. The other one, who Keith guesses to be her little sister, just stares up at Keith with a wide-eyed expression.

Keith smirks and slowly takes his helmet off, running his fingers through his hair before kneeling down in front of the girl. Her brown hair is pulled back into a bun and she is wearing a simple black dress. She can’t be more than six years old while her sister could be nine. They’re probably kids of some of Hunk’s cousins. The girl in front of him gasps and reaches for his hair. “Are you a prince?” she asks, tilting her head.

“Actually, I’m more of a knight,” Keith responds. “My name is Keith, what’s yours?”

“Josefina,” the girl shares. “Josie for short. My sister is Emere.”

Emere turns and gives Keith a wide smile. She’s missing a couple teeth, probably recently lost them. Her brown hair is pulled back into a braid and she’s wearing a black skirt and a white blouse.

“Well, Josie, do you know where your mom is?” Keith asks.

She shrugs. “Inside.” She pauses for a second. “Up?” Josie holds her arms up for Keith to pick her up.

Keith chuckles and nods, hoisting her up with one arm and locking his bike with the other. He holds his helmet with one hand and motions for Emere to follow him. Josie continues to play with Keith’s hair as he opens the door for Emere before walking in himself. Keith looks around at the funeral home lobby. It’s decorated with white couches, potted plants, and vases of flowers. Towards the left, there are the bathrooms and the right is where the visitation rooms are. Keith hears faint voices coming from one of the rooms so he heads in that direction.

“Is that a gun?” Emere asks suddenly, pointing at Keith’s holster.

“Yes, it is,” Keith replies.

She tilts her head. “Are you an FBI agent too? My Uncle Hunk is one.”

Keith nods. “Yeah, we work together. We’re on the same team.” He walks up to the room where a group of people is talking and Hunk immediately walks over to Keith.

“Keith! I wasn’t sure if you were going to come so early! I see you’ve met my nieces,” Hunk says with a smile when he looks at the girls.

“I thought your sister had one kid and your brother doesn’t even have a girlfriend?” Keith wonders.

“Well, they’re my cousin Manny’s kids, but he’s basically my brother,” Hunk says. “I see little Josie has taken a liking to you. I had a feeling she would.”

Josie giggles and buries her head in the crook of Keith’s neck. “She has good taste. She likes bad boys.”

“Don’t tell her mother that,” Hunk replies with a chuckle.

“Don’t tell her mother what?” a woman asks, walking up behind Hunk. Emere giggles and hugs her. Keith guesses this woman is their mother. She smiles at Keith. “Ah, you must be Agent Kogane! I’m Lillian Garett, Hunk’s cousin-in-law.”

Keith shakes her hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, but you can just call me Keith.”

Lillian looks back at Hunk. “Now, what is it we’re not telling me?”

“Josie here has taken a liking to Keith,” Hunk says with a chuckle. “He’s kind of a bad boy.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell based on the leather jacket and motorcycle helmet,” Lillian replies with a smug expression.

Josie giggles and reaches her arms out to Lillian, wanting to go back to her mother. Keith hands Hunk his helmet then passes off Josie to Lillian. Josie waves goodbye to Keith as Lillian walks away over to some other people, probably more of Hunk’s family. Hunk smiles after Lillian then looks back at Keith. “Josie doesn’t really like strangers so I’m a little surprised she openly walked up to you. Then again Emere is always getting into trouble and Josie idolizes her so I have no idea what her issue is,” Hunk says, handing Keith his helmet back.

“I don’t know why, but kids tend to like me for some reason,” Keith shares as he takes his jacket off to hang it up then places his helmet on top of it. “I have no idea why though.” He pauses, furrowing his eyebrows. “Do I look like a prince to you?”

Hunk laughs loudly. “What?! Where’d you get that idea?! You’re the opposite of a prince, Keith.”

“I dunno…Josie asked me if I was a prince,” Keith retorts with a smirk.

“And how did you respond to that?” Hunk wonders.

“I told her I was more of a knight,” Keith answers, smiling.

“Damn straight,” a voice says from behind them.

Hunk and Keith turn around and see Pidge and Allura standing there. “Oh! You guys made it!” Hunk exclaims, walking over to hug them.

“Of course! I got out earlier than I thought so Pidge and I carpooled over here,” Allura replies, giving Hunk a tight squeeze. “This is a beautiful funeral home, Hunk. Your sister truly outdid herself.”

“Right? Come on, she’d love to hear you say that,” Hunk says after he finishes hugging Pidge. He leads Allura away where Keith sees Talia in a deep conversation with her and Hunk’s younger brother, Aleki. They seem to be arguing about something but immediately stop when Hunk walks over to them.

Keith opens his mouth to comment on it to Pidge, but he stops when Shay hurries over to them. “Shay! I didn’t know you were-”

“Sorry, no time to talk. Pidge, we can’t get the projector to work,” Shay says. “It’s been a mess back there and Markus is about ready to lose it. Aleki screwed up the food orders and when Talia yelled at him about it, he refused to help.”

“Is that why I saw them arguing over there?” Keith wonders.

Shay nods. “They haven’t stopped and they’re only keeping it cool when Hunk’s around because he’ll just take Talia’s side and Aleki will storm out.”

Pidge raises an eyebrow. “Wow. Why wouldn’t Hunk take Aleki’s side?”

Shay rolls her eyes. “Have you met him?”

“I actually haven’t. Hunk said I shouldn’t ever meet him without himself or Keith present,” Pidge replies.

“Yep, he’s a hundred percent right on that,” Keith agrees.

Shay points over to the TV. “Pidge, Markus is over there trying to work on it. I really would like to chat more, but I have to get back and finish helping with sandwiches.” She squeezes Keith’s shoulder then walks away.

Keith follows Pidge over to where Markus is looking on his phone, holding a remote. “Markus? It’s-” Pidge starts.

“It’s the famous Pidge Holt!” Markus exclaims, standing up. “Did Shay send you over?”

Pidge nods. “Yeah, allow me to help?” She holds her hand out for the remote.

“Thank you so much,” Markus says, relieved as he hands over the remote. Once Pidge gets to work, he looks at Keith. “Keith Kogane, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Markus holds his hand out for Keith to shake.

“Hunk talks about you and Talia all the time,” Keith shares, shaking his hand. “I’m sorry for what happened.”

Markus nods. “Thank you but knowing the man who did it won’t be able to do it to anyone else helps.”

“My partner made sure of that,” Keith says. “He’s a great shot.”

“Aw, Keith, is this always how you talk about me when I’m not around?” Lance’s voice taunts from behind him.

“Nah, you missed him roasting you earlier,” Pidge pipes in from the ground. Keith high fives her then turns to smile at Lance, but it falters when he sees Nyma standing next to him with her arm linked through his. Actually, a better way of putting it would be Lance’s arm linked through hers.

If he wasn’t such a nice guy, Keith would probably punch her.

Anyway, Lance doesn’t seem to catch Keith’s falter and continues to smile. “I highly doubt that, Pidge. What are you even-”

Suddenly, the TV turns on and a slideshow begins to play on the screen. Pidge laughs triumphantly before hopping to her feet. “There was a weird bug thing on the disc and a wire wasn’t connected properly - anyway, I fixed it,” Pidge says, looking at Markus.

“Thank you so much, Pidge,” Markus says. “I better go tell Talia it’s up and running.” He walks away, going to find his wife.

Once he’s gone, Nyma opens her purse, pulling out her phone. It’s buzzing so she’s probably getting a phone call. She turns to Lance, tracing her finger down his tie. “I’ll be right back. I have to take this call.” She winks at him then makes her way out of the room to take the phone call outside.

Keith narrows his eyes in her direction. “Did you two carpool here?”

“Yeah…why?” Lance wonders.

“Did she drive?”

“Yes.” Lance raises an eyebrow. “Keith, what are you getting at?”

“She’s going to leave you here,” Keith says. “That was a work call.”

Lance scoffs. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Lance, Keith’s been dealing with Nyma longer than you have,” Pidge interjects. “Did you know they were both in New York before being accepted at the FBI? Nyma was a defense lawyer in New York while Keith was an officer. He got accepted first then Nyma moved up shortly after.”

“Neither of you told me this,” Lance says.

Keith shrugs. “I hated her then and I hate her now. She never ignores a work call, but if it’s a personal call, she’ll dodge the calls all day.”

“You’re lying. She wouldn’t-” Lance stops when his phone buzzes. He pulls it out and Keith and Pidge peek over to see who texted him.

 

_ Nyma: _ _ i have to leave early. a client needs me. catch a ride w/ someone else! _

 

Lance sighs and rubs his forehead, putting his phone away. “I guess you do know her better than I do.”

Keith winces at his hurt tone. “Just talk to her. She may be a grade A bitch, but she’s not unreasonable…most of the time.”

Pidge nods in agreement. “You can ride with Allura and me, Lance.”

“Thanks, Pidge,” Lance says with a smile before she walks off towards where Allura is talking with Shiro and another one of Hunk’s cousins.

Keith looks around the room, taking in the scene. Many parents that Keith talked to who had kids in Kiara’s class have walked through to show their sympathy for Talia and Markus. Keith guesses they’ll be having funerals soon enough as well. Other Garetts and Colemans come and go too. Surprisingly Keith hasn’t seen anyone suspicious walk in - then again there are several armed agents in here so things wouldn’t end well for them.

“Keith, help me understand something,” Lance says, interrupting Keith’s thoughts.

“What’s up?” Keith asks, turning to Lance.

“Hunk’s twenty-four so that makes Talia twenty-seven,” Lance says. “If her daughter was seven that means Talia was twenty when she had Kiara.”

Keith nods. “Yeah, she and her boyfriend-now-husband, Markus, got drunk one night, fooled around, and she got pregnant. Talia thought her parents would be pissed, but they were supportive through the whole process. Once she and Markus graduated college they got married. Hunk told me that story when we first started working together because I had asked.”

“I thought they were a strict Catholic family?” Lance wonders.

“They are, but they love their kids,” Keith says. “Plus, they were excited about a granddaughter.”

Lance nods, looking around once again at all the people gathered to show their sympathy and support for Talia and Markus. “I couldn’t imagine losing a child to something like this, but I think I have a good understanding of the pain they’ll be feeling. It takes a long while for it to go away.”

“Will it ever get better?” Keith asks.

“I don’t know.” Lance turns and looks at Keith with a pained expression. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Keith decides not to comment on that, not even knowing how he’d respond in the first place. He’s lost people in his life but nothing like this or how Lance lost his sister. Keith hates the fact that Lance still blames himself for what happened to Veronica, but there really isn’t anything Keith can do to change his mind. Lance just has to move on and accept she’s in a better place now…wherever that may be. Perhaps watching Hunk’s family mourn and accept the loss of Kiara will help Lance in his process of moving on.

 

* * *

 

_ Kiara’s Funeral _

* * *

 

 

Keith arrives at the church Hunk texted him the address of on his bike and parks near the entrance. As he swings his leg off his bike, he turns when he sees Lance’s car pull in and turn sharply into the spot next to Keith. Nyma gets out of the passenger’s side wearing a simple spaghetti-strapped black dress. She pulls out a black shawl from the car and slips it over her shoulders then grabs her purse. “Hey, Keith!” Nyma exclaims, waving at him.

“Hi Nyma,” Keith greets after he takes his helmet off. He wonders if she’ll take another work phone call in the middle of the service. Knowing her, the answer will probably be yes. Keith sets his helmet down on the seat then fixes his tie. He decided to wear a dark maroon shirt, black dress pants, and a black tie today. None of his black shirts were clean so Hunk told him the dark maroon one was fine.

He grabs his helmet and walks onto the sidewalk, but stops, getting caught in a slight daze when he sees Lance get out of the car. He’s not wearing his glasses, instead probably wearing contacts. His hair is styled up off his forehead and he has on something very similar to Keith except Lance has a nice sports jacket to go with it and his shirt is a dark blue.

Keith can’t deny that he looks amazing despite this being a funeral and all.

“Hey, Keith! I still can’t understand how you don’t get helmet hair after wearing your helmet,” Lance comments, breaking Keith out of his daze.

“My hair is always messy,” Keith replies.

“Now that’s just not fair! It always looks good,” Nyma interjects, stepping next to Lance. “Do you even try?”

Keith shrugs. “I brush it in the morning, but other than that it does what it wants.”

Nyma and Lance look at each other then shake their heads before walking inside. Lance looks back and motions for him to follow. Keith rolls his eyes but complies, jogging slightly to catch up. Once inside, Keith admires the look and decorations around the lobby of the church. Obviously, the children’s group here spent time making some of these pictures and drawings.

After a few minutes of looking, Hunk walks up to them. “You guys made it! We’re just waiting for a few more things but then we’ll be ready to go. Lance, Nyma, there are reserved seats near the front. Pidge, Shiro, Ezor, and Allura are already there. Keith, you’re with me,” Hunk instructs.

Lance smiles at Keith before leaving with Nyma to sit down with the others. Hunk takes Keith over to where Hunk’s family has gathered by Kiara’s casket. Aleki and Markus are standing at the back of it, talking with Talia. Once they see Hunk and Keith come over, Talia hurries up to them. “Keith! Thank you again for doing this!” Talia exclaims, pulling Keith in for a quick hug. “I know Kiara would’ve appreciated it.”

Keith nods. “It’s my pleasure. Thank you for thinking of me.”

They talk for a few more minutes before the priest walks over and asks if the family is ready to start. Talia tells him that they are and the priest instructs the guys holding the casket follow him and the rest of the family follow behind the casket. Keith grabs a handle as Hunk, Markus, and Aleki do as well. Together, they lift the casket up and walk over to where the priest is waiting to walk in.

Once everyone’s in place, the choir begins singing and the priest leads them down the center aisle. Keith looks around at the people who have gathered to attend the funeral - mostly family, friends, and parents of kids who also died in the attack on the school. Keith turns his attention back to the casket when they arrive at the stand where it is. Hunk guides it on as Aleki, Markus, and Keith place it and once it’s in place, they head to their seats. Keith sits next to Lance at the end of the pew while Hunk sits with his family in the first two pews.

The song ends and the priest begins speaking, leading everyone in prayer. Keith isn’t very religious so he doesn’t speak with, but he listens intently since he’s never been to a funeral before. After the priest says a prayer, one of Hunk’s cousins walks up to read a selection from the Bible - the first reading. The choir sings again afterward then another family member reads a different selection of the Bible - the second reading.

Then everyone stands up when the priest reads another different section of the Bible. Lance informs Keith that this is called the Gospel reading. Once the priest finishes with that, everyone sits down as he begins to talk about Kiara’s life and how she just received her first communion two weeks ago. He then talks about how her parents helped her throughout her life, staying on the right path of faith.

After this, Keith sees Markus, Talia, Hunk, and Aleki walk down the center aisle holding what looks like a pitcher of wine and a bowl of pieces of bread. The priest takes them up to the altar behind the casket and begins to “bless” them - at least that’s what Lance whispered to Keith.

Once “blessed,” everyone stands up and holds each other’s hand. Lance holds his hand out to Keith and he reluctantly takes it, not knowing what’s happening. Everyone starts saying another prayer then when finished, shake hands with each other and give each other a sign of peace. Each pew then takes turns walking up to the priest. Keith watches Lance get up along with Pidge and Shiro, but Nyma, Ezor, and Allura stay seated with Keith. He knows Allura and Ezor aren’t Catholic or Christian, but he doesn’t know what Nyma is.

Then again he doesn’t actually care about her.

After everyone sits back down, the priest speaks some more and soon enough Keith finds himself carrying the casket out once again with Hunk, Markus, and Aleki. They bring it out to the funeral car and put it inside where it will be taken to the graveyard to be buried.

Keith looks up at the sky and sees dark clouds beginning to come in, signaling it’ll probably rain soon. He opens it’ll hold up so Hunk’s family can bury Kiara before it starts downpouring. Keith says goodbye to Hunk and his family and his team before everyone heads out to go back home.

“Hey, do you want a ride home? It looks like it may rain,” Lance offers as he and Keith exit the church.

“Nah, it should hold up before I get home,” Keith replies, “but thanks for the offer.”

Lance raises an eyebrow at Keith. “Dude, you live like an hour and a half away.”

“Fifty if I ignore speeding laws,” Keith counters with a smirk.

“Okay, okay! You win!” Lance raises his hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll see you later, Keith. Let me know when you get home, alright? I’m serious, Keith. I better get a text from you.”

Keith rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Yes, Doctor McClain.” He waves goodbye to Lance as he walks over to his car. Keith watches Lance join Nyma at his car, give her a kiss, and then open the passenger door for her before walking to the driver’s side. Keith turns away and puts his helmet on then mounts his bike. He revs the engine, smirking in the process before driving it behind Lance’s car where the exit to the parking lot is. Keith hears Lance honk his horn before turning right down the street. Nyma waves at Keith through the window and Keith salutes in response before turning left down the street.

It’s eerily barren for the thirty minutes Keith has been driving, which is strange for this area. The sun begins to set so Keith turns on his lights, illuminating the road so he can see the dashed yellow line in the center and the solid white line on the right side. Suddenly, off in the distance, he sees headlights from another car approaching him. He doesn’t think twice of it until the lights begin coming at him faster, picking up speed.

Keith’s eyes widen and he tries to swerve out of the way but his bike won’t cooperate. Soon enough, he sees a flash of white light and the car hits him. Keith tumbles off the road, bike shooting out from under him. As he falls, he hears a bone snap in his right arm and left leg and his helmet crack when his head hits a rock. Once he stops rolling, he hits his head on the ground causing the helmet to fall off.

Keith groans in pain, head pounding as he fumbles in his pocket to pull his phone out. Through his blurry vision, he sees the screen is cracked. With his left hand, he gets it unlocked and opens up Lance’s contact to call him, but someone wipes it out of his hand before he can press call. Keith whimpers in protest and looks up to see a woman with brown hair, pale skin, and a nose and lip piercing smirking down at him. He scans her to see if he can figure out who she is, but his head hurts too much and his vision is fading fast. The only thing he manages to see is a viper tattoo on her left arm.

_ Where has he seen that before? _

“It honor to finally meet you, Agent Kogane,” the woman says with a thick Russian accent, breaking Keith out of his thoughts. “Ve are going to have some fun.”

Keith opens his mouth to retort, but a shooting pain goes through his head and he falls unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I sorry for this cliffhanger? Nope! It was bound to happen one way or another so why not now? And to think...he was so close to calling Lance's phone. Perhaps he should've taken his offer for a ride home?
> 
> You're welcome :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Author's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)


	6. A Revenge Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Kiara's funeral, it seems as though Keith goes off the grid. In the past, this was typical of him, but now that he's been getting therapy sessions from Lance, he's made sure that his friends know where he is and that he's okay. However, when Lance doesn't receive a text from Keith that he gets home okay, he begins to worry for his partner.
> 
> It's the race against time for Lance and the other team members to locate Keith and safely retrieve him before he's killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FINALLY DONE! Oh my god you guys have no idea how long this took me lol. I know it's a week later than I promised, but hopefully, you'll be okay with it after you read it.
> 
> Enjoy~

Lance yawns and sits up in his bed, stretching his arms, trying to get the kinks out. His back pops and he sighs in content. He turns, picking up his phone from his nightstand to check his messages. Lance expects to see a message from Keith apologizing for not sending one last night, but he’s surprised when he doesn’t see one. Keith didn’t send him a text last night like he said he would which worried Lance, but Nyma told him not to worry about it and that he’d definitely text Lance in the morning.

Well, it’s morning now and there’s nothing from Keith. Lance picks up his phone, finds Keith’s contact, and presses call. He expects to hear the rings, but it goes straight to voicemail. Lance presses end on the call and dials again, but he gets the voicemail. He tries a third time but nothing changes.

Okay,  _ now _ it’s time to panic.

Lance starts breathing heavily, scrolling and finds Pidge’s contact to call her. He grows more impatient as he hears the ringing. It rings four times before Pidge answers - much too long in Lance’s opinion since she’s always by her electronics. “ _ Lance, it’s too early for this! It’s our day off and- _ ” she starts.

“Have you heard from Keith?” Lance asks. “I tried calling his phone three times, but he didn’t answer. He also never texted me last night telling me he got home safely.”

“ _ No, he hasn’t. I can ping his phone location if you want? _ ” Pidge offers. “ _ If it’s off or dead I can still find its last known location. _ ”

“Okay, you do that,” Lance says. “I’m going to call Shiro and ask-”

Lance’s phone buzzes and he moves it away from his ear to see that Shiro is calling him. “Oh, speak of the devil! Shiro’s calling me right now.”

“ _ Answer it. I’ll text you when I get a location, _ ” Pidge says before hanging up.

Lance presses answer on Shiro’s call. “Hey! I actually was just about to call you.”

“ _Really? Well, maybe you can help me out with something. Keith never showed up to the meeting with my bosses and I’m not too happy with him about it,_ ” Shiro shares. “ _I called him several times, but he never picked up. Have you heard from him?_ ”

“I tried calling him too when I woke up because he never texted me that he got home safely from the funeral yesterday,” Lance says. “I asked Pidge to ping his phone to see where it last was.”

“ _ Good. Let me know as soon as possible, alright? If he turned his phone off, I swear- _ ” Shiro starts.

“Keith’s never this careless, Shiro. I’ll get to the bottom of it,” Lance interrupts, defending his partner. “I will call you as soon as I know something. Goodbye.” He hangs up and finally crawls out of bed. Lance walks into the bathroom just as he gets a text from Pidge.

 

_ Pidge: _ _ okay, uh, this is a bit odd _

 

_ Lance: _ _ What’s up? _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ I have his phone last pinged down the road from the church we were at last night _

 

_ Lance: _ _ What?! Okay, text Hunk and Ezor to meet me there _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ what are you gonna do? Lance, what does this mean _

 

_ Lance: _ _ I have to tell Shiro _

_ Keith’s in trouble _

 

* * *

 

 

Keith inhales sharply, opening his eyes just to be blinded by a bright light. He squints, trying to focus on where he is, and while he does that, he notices that his shirt is missing and sees dirt and dry blood all over his pants. Keith winces when he finally feels the pounding in his head from his splitting headache, noticing blood dripping from a wound that is probably there down onto a small pool of blood on the ground. He concludes that he probably has a concussion. Keith pulls on his restraints to try to break himself free, but he yelps in pain when he feels something sharp dig into his wrists - probably spikes on the restraints.

He looks around the room, trying to figure out where he is, but he doesn’t recognize anything. There are dark concrete walls, not much light in the room except where Keith is tied up - almost seeming like a spotlight shining down on him. A table sits next to one of the walls, full of weapons on it, but Keith doesn’t recognize any of them as his.

Footsteps sound from down a set of stairs and Keith sees a woman walk into view, bringing down a couple knives to set on the table. She has brown hair cut very short in the back with long side bangs to her chin covering one of her eyes. The woman has pale skin, a nose piercing, a lip piercing, and several spiked earrings in both her ears. Keith recognizes her as the woman he saw after he was hit off the road on his bike.

The woman turns to look at him, smirking when she sees him staring back at her. Keith notes the viper tattoo on her left arm, trying to think of where he’s seen it before, but his headache-concussion is preventing him from thinking straight.

“Ah, velkome back to land of living, agent. I did not zink you vould vake up. I zought I had killed you by accident,” the woman comments with the familiar Russian accent.

“Who are you?” Keith manages, trying not to cringe at the continuing pounding he feels in his head.

“I in charge of making sure you do not find out truth,” she replies, walking over to him with her arms crossed.

Keith narrows his eyes at her. “Truth of what?”

“Truth of why you are here, of kourse.” She raises an eyebrow. “Do you seriously not rekognize me? Not even my tattoo? My brother knows you very well. You have been on his trail since you vere little New York police officer.”

Keith clenches his teeth. “The Snake…you’re Samuel Kefter’s sister?”

The woman smiles and nods. “Da, zat is korrect. You kan kall me Trugg.  Snake is my baby brother.”

“Why doesn’t he have a Russian accent like you?” Keith wonders.

“He better at mimicking Amerikan accent zan I, hence why he vas placed where he vas,” Trugg explains.

“He’s in jail. I arrested him,” Keith says. “Is that why I’m here? Vengeance for your brother?”

Trugg laughs loudly. “Vell, it quite shame he in prison, but in zis line of business, ve have niet time to mourn our losses. My brother and I knew zat when ve signed up. Losing him vas merely kollateral damage, I play bigger role zan he does, but he did not know zat.”

“Why am I here? Who do you work for?” Keith asks, growing impatient.

Trugg rolls her eyes. “Do you really expect me to tell you zat? Vell, you’re here bekause zat little tech friend of yours poked her nose in too deep into something vay above her pay grade. How did you diskover it?”

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Keith replies. “I haven’t looked at my email.”

Trugg simply shrugs and walks over to the weapon table and picks up a knife. “Don’t lie to me, Agent. I have specific orders and I never fail to deliver on good news.” She walks back over to Keith and holds the knife against his arm. “So, let me ask you again…how did you diskover it?”

Keith glares at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Trugg shrugs. “Oh vell, I varned you.” she digs the knife into Keith’s arm, earning shouts of pain from him.

_ What the hell did Pidge send him?! _

 

* * *

 

 

Lance parks his car where Keith’s phone last pinged, just a few miles down past where the funeral took place in yesterday. He takes a deep breath, trying to ready himself for whatever the scene will look like. On the road, there are tire tracks and some pieces of metal probably from Keith’s bike. He looks over the side of the road and spots Ezor, Hunk, and Pidge down where the crime scene is. As he gets closer, he covers his mouth in shock when he sees Keith’s bike in shambles. To Lance’s left, he spots Keith’s helmet on the ground. He pulls out some latex gloves and puts them on before lifting the helmet to examine it. Lance traces his finger down the large crack in the side of the helmet, turning it around to see if there’s any blood inside it. Luckily, there’s not but now Lance is very tempted to research motorcycle helmets and buy one for Keith that won’t break like this one did.

He sets the helmet back on the ground then walks over to where Hunk is examining the bike. “Holy shit,” Lance comments.

“Ironically, that’s literally what Ezor said when we rolled up together,” Hunk shares.

Lance looks around. “Well, obviously this was planned since we don’t see Keith’s dead corpse!”

“Lance, we could really use your brain to look for clues,” Ezor says from nearby.

He huffs in annoyance but walks over to her and Pidge. “What’s up?”

“What should we be looking for?” Ezor asks.

“Anything that sticks out and doesn’t look like it belongs,” Lance replies, starting to look around.

“Ah!” Pidge exclaims, jumping away. “I think I almost stepped in blood! That’s it, I’m done down here!” She takes off the latex gloves and drops them by Hunk before walking back up to the road.

Lance walks over to where she was and kneels down to examine it. He uses his latex glove to poke it and when he lifts his finger, a red liquid drips from it back into the puddle. “Yeah, this is probably Keith’s blood, but I want forensics to confirm it. Hunk, how far away are Shay and her team?”

“Uh, I actually just texted her when Pidge mentioned the blood,” Hunk reveals. “She hasn’t responded yet.”

Lance turns and blinks at him. “Why wasn’t she called before?”

“B-because-” Hunk starts.

“No, there’s no because on this!” Lance stands up and looks down at him. “Keith was kidnapped, Hunk. We’re on a clock to get him back!”

“Lance, please don’t go all psycho on us!” Pidge begs from the top of the hill. “If Shiro throws you off this case, we’re all screwed.”

Lance sighs and nods. “Right…you’re right. I’m sorry, Hunk.”

“I think I found something,” Ezor interjects.

Lance walks over to her, stopping in his tracks when he sees her holding up a piece of dark maroon cloth. He furrows his eyebrows in worry. “That…Keith was wearing that color of shirt,” Lance shares.

“Then it’s probably his,” Ezor says, motioning for Hunk to hand her an evidence bag. She takes a step forward, but Lance holds his hand out to stop her. He bends down and lifts up the rest of Keith’s shirt.

Lance looks at Ezor with confusion riddled on his face. “What the hell? Who would take his shirt off?” He places the shirt into an evidence bag and puts his gloves into a different one.

“I mean, who wouldn’t?” She shakes her head. “Sorry, not the point! Why do you think the kidnapper did?”

“I-I don’t know…I don’t know who would,” Lance says. “Maybe they’re trying to humiliate him?”

Ezor raises an eyebrow. “Is Keith even capable of being insulted?”

“Only if you insult someone he cares about!” Pidge exclaims, walking back down to them.

Lance huffs in annoyance. “Do you have something useful?”

“I don’t much appreciate the tone,  _ doctor _ , but yes I do. I think I calculated some scenarios on how he was hit off the road. Come, follow me.” She gestures for Lance and Ezor to come with her.

Ezor and Lance exchange an uncertain expression before following her back onto the road where the initial crash happened. “Okay, so, he was hit right here,” Pidge says, gesturing to the orange marker tape on the ground. She then leads them across three green taped lines. “These green lines are the probable ways he was hit from. One is a direct hit from the front, one is a gradual diagonal line to hit him from the front left-ish side, and the last shows that the car was in the other lane then swerved at the last second to hit Keith off the road.”

“Why three scenarios?” Lance wonders.

“So I can compare each to how Hunk says the bike was hit,” Pidge replies.

“Oh…right.” Lance nods. “Good idea, Pidge.”

“I’m hoping we can determine the size of the car based on this information, but that won’t help you build a profile,” Pidge says with a sigh.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be focusing on the kidnapper’s profile. Maybe we should be focusing on Keith’s profile,” Ezor suggests.

“How is profiling him going to help find him?” Pidge asks.

“Because we can narrow down the people who would want Keith to suffer! Great idea, Ezor!” Lance exclaims. “Okay, Ezor, you’re coming back with me to the office to start digging into Keith’s past. Pidge, the moment you and Hunk recreate what happened here, tell us.”

Pidge nods. “Okay, we will.”

Lance and Ezor begin walking to Lance’s car but Pidge grabs Lance’s arm to stop him. “Wait, Lance, when you look into Keith’s past…don’t-don’t hold anything against him, okay?”

Lance tilts his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Just don’t, please,” Pidge says. She releases his arm and walks away without saying anything else.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith yells in agony when Trugg yanks a knife out of his shoulder. He takes in a shuddery breath but hisses in pain from the stabbing pain in his chest. During his roll down the hill, Keith thinks a couple ribs moved out of alignment or broke and now he can barely breathe. He clenches his fists when Trugg laughs at him.

“Have enough yet, agent?” she wonders, taking an already bloody rag and begins wiping the blade.

“B-burn…in h-hell,” Keith stammers, spitting out some blood.

“I do not know why you are keeping zis information to yourself. If you just tell me how she got ze information, zis pain vill end,” Trugg states.

“I-I told you…I d-don’t know w-what you’re t-talking about,” Keith manages, trying to hold back a coughing fit.

Trugg sighs and walks back over to the weapon table, setting the knife down. Small pools of blood litter the table from the various weapons Trugg chose to torment Keith with.

Keith coughs up some more blood, spitting it on the ground. “If-if you keep c-cutting me…I’ll d-die of b-blood loss.”

“Oh, you are only going to vish you vere dead, agent. I zink I have given you enough kuts to permanently ruin zat perfectly toned body of yours,” Trugg counters. She grabs a lighter and walks over to a fireplace, lighting the wood inside. It takes her a couple of tries but eventually flames come to life on the wood. She smirks at it then stands up, walking over to the table to put the lighter back down. Trugg lifts a silver metal rod up then places the tip of it in the flames.

“Now, shall ve talk some more before I kontinue your torture?” Trugg turns around and takes a seat in a chair facing Keith. “Who is zis Lance McClain you tried to kall? Is he your boyfriend?”

Keith closes his eyes, fuming. “Partner,” he says through clenched teeth.

“Ah, I see…it very unfortunate you vere unable to kall him before I got to you.” She crosses her legs and leans back in her chair. “Just zink of possibilities if you did kall him. Perhaps you vould not even be here or you vould have his dead korpse on you konscience.”

“Sh-shut up…” Keith exhales. He hisses in pain when his head starts pounding and his vision gets fuzzy. His breathing becomes sporadic but he can’t get enough air in his lungs. With every breath in, Keith feels a sharp twinge of pain in his ribcage from the ribs that moved out of alinement or broke. He gasps loudly and pulls at the restraints, crying out when the spikes dig into his wrists.

Trugg stands up and storms over to him, slapping him across the cheek. “Knock it off.” Once Keith manages to calm himself down, Trugg continues. “Does talking ‘bout Lance make you upset? I kan see it pains you.” She smirks and crosses her arms. “You know, emotional pain is something I do not specialize in, but I do know someone who does. He on his vay and I vill be sure to tell him to get as much information on Lance McClain as he kan.”

Keith glares at the ground and pulls at the restraints again. “T-touch him a-and I will…”

She steps up to him and grabs his chin, forcing Keith to look at her. “You vill what? Kill me? Agent, you have lost signifikant amount of blood. You are in niet kondition to even be valking. Does he know zat you have been looking into your mother’s kase?”

Keith clenches his jaw, turning his head away from her.

“I vill take your silence as niet. Vell, after zis, I certain he vill find out. How vill he react at fact you left him in dark? Do you not trust him?” Trugg wonders.

“I-I trust h-him with my…life,” Keith hisses.

Trugg raises an eyebrow. “Vow, strong vords, agent. How do you know he vill even find you? I not linked to you in any vay and even if your friends do track you down, I vill be long gone.”

“If I-I can f-find him buried…in a c-car underground,” Keith pants, “he c-can find me here b-being…captive b-by psycho-bitch.”

“I do not know about psycho-bitch komment, but buried underground intrigues me. Shall I try zat vith you?” Trugg wonders. She smirks and chuckles at Keith’s change of expression. “I kid, I kid. I have better methods of torture planned for you, agent. Zink rod is heated up? You lack burn marks.”

She stands up and walks over to the fire, grabbing a pair of gloves on the way. She slips them on then picks the rod up. Keith sees it glowing orange and smoking slightly as Trugg walks back over to him. “Zis vill be fun.”

“I-I doubt…that,” Keith spits.

“Vell, fun for me. You…not so much.” Trugg smirks then presses the rod against Keith’s chest, smiling wider as he yells out in pain.

Keith gasps out wincing when the hot silver rod pierces through his skin. He pulls against the restraints, feeling the spikes digging into his wrists again, but he doesn’t care. The pain from the rod is a million times worse. The scent of burning flesh fills his nostrils, forcing Keith to fight back his gag reflex. Keith cries out, squirming to get away from Trugg.

Trugg pulls the rod away, watching the smoke come up from Keith’s new wound. She closes her eyes and breathes in through her nose, getting a good whiff of the burning flesh. Keith looks away from her, absolutely disgusted. He pulls at the wrist restraints again, glaring at Trugg. “Y-you’re disgusting.”

Trugg sets the rod aside and stands up so she’s face-to-face with Keith. “If you keep pulling like zat, your wrists vill be permanently skarred.”

“Better than st-standing here being t-tormented by you,” Keith spits.

Trugg grabs Keith’s throat and slowly begins applying pressure. “You do not intimidate me, agent. You are mere gazelle while I ze lioness, prowling, stalking until I pounce in for kill. I know zings about you. I getting information on your team right now. Zis is game, agent, and I intend on vinning.”

“Y-you w-won’t,” Keith croaks out, gasping for air.

“Zen you vill die vith me,” Trugg states, squeezing harder on Keith’s throat.

Keith’s vision begins getting blurry as he continues gasping for air. With one last squeeze, he falls unconscious.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance and Ezor walk inside the meeting room with Keith’s files and records and begin to read through them, building Keith’s profile. Lance begins with Keith’s birth records and writes down the names of his parents on the whiteboard. His mother is Krolia Kogane and his father is Seth Kogane. Keith was born on October 23, 1992, at 11:32 AM. Krolia was a U.S. Attorney who went missing when Keith was about 9 while Seth was a security guard at a mall who worked nights.

“Wow, Krolia sounded like everyone’s dream mom,” Lance comments, reading over the information on her. “She seemed like a lovely woman.”

Ezor sets a box on the table. “Keith’s foster records just arrived. What were you saying about his mom?”

“She just did amazing things,” Lance says. “Keith idolized her!” He shuts the pile. “Sorry, not the point. I wrote on the board about his parents. Krolia acted as a good mother towards Keith while Seth was cold and distant. He abused Keith until he died when Keith was eight, then a year later Krolia disappeared. You look through the foster records while I look through the school records, alright?”

“Aye aye captain,” Ezor replies with a mock salute, opening the box of Keith’s foster records.

Lance begins sorting through the school records, quickly learning that Keith moved between a few schools before he graduated eighth grade. He got into a lot of trouble with other kids, yelling in class and fistfights on the playground. Each paper he looks at tells the same story of Keith misbehaving in class. “Wow…he really did all of this? Yell at teachers? Fight kids on the playground? I know he has anger issues, but I didn’t think it stemmed this far back.”

“You sound surprised,” Ezor comments without looking up from the paper she’s reading.

“Well, yeah! I didn’t think one kid could get into this much trouble in the span of three months - let alone until he was in eighth grade! I haven’t even looked at high school yet,” Lance says.

“You do realize by that point he had moved from four different foster homes, right?” Ezor wonders.

“What are you talking about?” Lance asks.

Ezor hands him the paper she was reading, showing him the foster home records and how it lines up with the disciplinary records Lance was looking at. “I don’t blame him for what he did. I mean, I did the same thing,” Ezor says.

Lance looks up at her. “What do you mean? You were a bad kid in school?”

“Not on purpose. The other kids picked on me because I didn’t have parents or a family…not to mention I didn’t have a full left arm or left leg,” Ezor shares with a chuckle. “Though, it stopped by high school because by then I had been adopted and I got better at hiding my prosthetics. Besides, most of these disciplinary records were just Keith defending himself from being bullied.”

Lance shakes his head. “I already knew he was bullied, but back up - I didn’t know you were a foster kid.”

“Yep! Parents died in a car crash when I was three and my aunt and uncle took care of me until they couldn’t anymore,” Ezor shares.

“Why’d they stop?” Lance wonders.

“My cousins went off to college and they had to pay for them so that meant I had to go. At first, I was relieved since I couldn’t stand them, but once I got a taste of what foster care was, I knew I had a better life than those kids…now I was one of them,” Ezor says solemnly.

Lance frowns. “I can’t imagine what you went through.”

Ezor shrugs. “Meh. I held my own. I really only had problems in school. Unlike Keith, I was fortunate enough to be placed in good foster homes. I only went through three before I was adopted. Keith went through-”

“Fourteen?! He went through fourteen before he turned eighteen!” Lance exclaims. “That’s-” He slams the papers down on the table and turns to the whiteboard, looking at the picture of Keith he taped onto the whiteboard. “Keith…what happened to you?”

“I don’t think we’re going to find anything in these records,” Ezor says honestly. “Once Keith graduated high school - top ten in the class might I add - he received a baseball scholarship from NYU and went there to study sports marketing, but once he was accepted into the NYPD training program, he turned his focus to that. Somehow he graduated and passed through the program.” She skims over a piece of paper. “Damn! Keith’s really smart! For the FBI program, he scored highest of his class on the written exam!”

“Ezor, focus,” Lance scolds. “If there’s nothing in his childhood, where should we be looking?”

“Well, he worked on a lot of cases as a police officer and we know someone who overlapped on some of those cases in New York,” Ezor offers with a smile.

“What - oh! Ezor, that’s brilliant!” Lance exclaims. He pulls out his phone and opens up the conversation between him and Nyma.

 

_ Lance: _ _ Hey! I need you to get any and all cases you worked on in NY _

_ Keith would have to be the leading officer _

_ And he would’ve had an altercation with your client _

 

Lance looks up at Ezor. “Alright, get Hunk and Pidge in here…we’ve got work to do.”

 

* * *

 

 

Keith stirs and groans, attempting to open his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but his voice stays trapped in his throat. The room around him is blurry, and he hears a ringing in his ears. It gets harder to stay awake, but Keith refuses to let fatigue and tiredness take over.

“…not ze point!” Trugg exclaims from the other side of the room.

“Niet, it not point. You vere given specific instructions on extracting zis one. You disobeyed orders,” a deep male Russian voice replies. “Ranveig is not happy vith you.”

“You ansver to Ladnok, not Ranveig,” Trugg counters. “If Ladnok has issue vith my methods, she kan kome see me herself. Until zen, either get lost or inject agent vith ze hallucinogens.”

The man grunts but begins moving some things around. “I do not appreciate being pushed around by you.”

“Just do your job,” Trugg snarls before stomping up the stairs.

The man approaches Keith and seizes one of his arms. Keith tries to protest against it, but he still can’t speak. He feels the needle penetrate through his skin and the liquid enter his veins. Keith gasps for air then slumps over again, finally succumbing to sleep. His mind begins sifting through thoughts and begins creating a scene…

 

_ “Keith! Breakfast is ready!” a female voice sounds from down the stairs. _

_ Keith hops out of bed and runs down the stairs, the scent of pancakes filling his nostrils. He skids to a stop when he sees a stack of pancakes decorated with strawberries and whip cream in front of his place at the table. “Yes! What’s the occasion?” Keith wonders, turning to his mother. _

_ Krolia Kogane turns to look at her son, smiling widely at him. She has jet black hair with pink tips and violet eyes, just like Keith. “Does it have to be a special occasion for me to make my favorite son a stack of strawberry covered pancakes?” she wonders. _

_ Keith giggles and hops into his seat. “You usually make them when you’re about to win a case!” _

_ “Very observant of you,” Krolia comments, ruffling his hair. “As a matter of fact, I am about to win a case. It’s a big one too! You know that big campaign scandal I told you about?” _

_ Keith nods, shoving a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. _

_ “Well,” Krolia says, popping a strawberry in her mouth, “we got the big piece of evidence that will put him away.” _

_ “Forever?” Keith asks, mouth full of food. _

_ Krolia smiles and kisses his forehead. “Forever.” _

_ Keith high fives his mom then continues eating his breakfast. “Is Jacklyn coming to watch me today?” _

_ “Yes! She’ll be here in an hour, so finish up and get ready, alright? She’s taking you to the museum today so you can do your report,” Krolia says, walking back into the kitchen. _

_ “When you get home, can we have pizza for dinner?” Keith asks eagerly, finishing up his plate and bringing it to the sink. _

_ Krolia grabs his hand and spins him around before pulling him in for a hug. “If we get the guilty verdict today!” _

_ Keith flashes his mom a wide smile before bouncing to the stairwell. “I’ll take pepperoni on my pizza!” _

 

The scene fades away, shifting into a new one…

 

_ “Hey Kogane!” a voice taunts from behind Keith. _

_ Keith looks up from the book he was reading on one of the benches on the playground and turns, glaring at the group of boys behind him. “What do you want, James?” Keith demands. _

_ “Your mom was on the news this morning. She’s bad at her job,” James states, crossing his arms. _

_ Keith stands up angrily and storms up to James. “No, she’s not! She helps put lots of bad guys away!” he exclaims. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” _

_ James scoffs and crosses his arms. “I do know what I’m talking about. She sucks at her job and is an embarrassment to cops everywhere.” _

_ “Shut up!” Keith yells. “You don’t know anything!” _

_ “You’re as pathetic as-” James starts when Keith decks him across the jaw. _

_ “I said shut up!” Keith snarls. _

_ James rubs his jaw and gets up to strike Keith back, but the playground supervisors hurry over before he can. They grab the two kids and separate them from each other before more harm can be done. Keith pulls against the arms of the supervisors, but they keep him well away from James as both of them are brought to the principal’s office. Keith plops down angrily into one of the chairs as James sits down in the one farthest away from him. He avoids looking at James, but he can feel his glare piercing through him. _

_ About half an hour later, James’s mom and Keith’s mom arrived to pick up their sons. James threatens to punch Keith, but his mom holds him back while Krolia shields Keith from him. Keith waits while he hears the principal tell his mom and James’s mom that they are forbidden from going on their class’s field trip and have to be sent home for the rest of the day. _

_ Krolia opens the back seat door for Keith before going around to the driver’s side. She shuts the door and turns the car on, but doesn’t drive away. “Keith-” _

_ “Don’t,” Keith interrupts. “I already know my punishment.” _

_ Krolia turns and looks at her. “Honey, no. That’s not what I was talking about. Why did you punch James?” _

_ “He was insulting you! I didn’t like what he was saying, and I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen!” Keith exclaims. _

_ “Keith, you can’t let bullies get the best of you,” Krolia says. “You have to be the bigger person and ignore it. I didn’t raise a child to stoop down to those levels. Keith, you are my pride and joy. I would do anything for you, but you have to help me out too.” _

_ Keith looks at her. “Anything, mom.” _

_ “Promise me that instead of harming others by force, you’ll tell an adult,” Krolia says. “By striking someone else, you’re at fault too, but if you use your words to ask them to stop then tell someone, you won’t be at fault.” _

_ “I promise,” Keith says. He pauses for a moment then looks hopefully up at his mom. “I know I’m in trouble, but…could we get ice cream? I got an A on my science test.” _

_ Krolia laughs. “Fine, but no chocolate syrup! That’s your punishment!” _

 

As the car drives into the distance, the dream shifts one last time…

 

_ “Mom? Can I tell you something?” Keith asks, turning the volume down on the TV. _

_ Krolia sets down the notepad she was writing on and looks at Keith. “Sure! You can tell me anything, sweetie. What’s up?” _

_ “Iwannabeacop!” Keith exclaims quickly. _

_ Krolia tilts her head in confusion. “What? Could you speak slower?” _

_ Keith sighs. “I wanna be a cop - like you. Well, not exactly like you since you’re a lawyer. But I want to catch bad guys and get evidence so lawyers like you can put them in jail!” _

_ “A United States Attorney, but you can call me a lawyer, sure,” Krolia corrects with a smile. “Keith, come sit with me a second.” _

_ Keith sets the TV remote down then goes and joins her on the couch. “Yes?” _

_ “I admire your bravery in wanting to be an officer, but that is a very dangerous job,” Krolia shares. “My job is even dangerous even though I’m just an attorney. I thought you wanted to be a professional baseball player?” _

_ “I do! Well…did,” Keith states. “I just want to make the world better! That’s what you taught me I should do.” _

_ “Is that why you get into fights with some of the boys in your class?” Krolia wonders. _

_ Keith sighs. “They’re being mean to other kids. I had to defend them.” _

_ Krolia smiles widely and kisses his temple. “I am  _ so _ proud of you, Keith, but I don’t want you put in harm’s way. Have I ever told you about my first time in the field?” _

_ Keith shakes his head no. “You haven’t even though I always ask.” _

_ “Well, I’m going to tell you right now,” Krolia says. “When I first started off, the officer I was helping work through an investigation wanted me out in the field with him because his partner was unfit for duty at the moment so I had to fill in. Anyway, we were closing in on the suspect when a shootout started. The officer yelled at me to get down, but I was grazed by a bullet on my side as I ducked away. I was lucky enough to not have died from it, and if I did die from it, I wouldn’t be able to come home to you. One day, you’ll have someone you love at home, and you won’t want to leave them behind because of an accident out in the field. I won’t dictate what your dreams are, but it’s just a warning, alright? I love you and don’t want anything to happen to you.” _

_ Keith rests his head on his mom’s shoulder. “I love you too.” _

 

* * *

 

 

Lance turns when he hears the meeting room door squeak open. Pidge nods in thanks at Hunk when he holds it open for her before she plops down in a chair with her computer. She sighs loudly, removing her glasses to rub her eyes. “I don’t agree with this,” she says. Hunk plops down next to Pidge and nods in agreement.

“Do you want to find Keith or not?” Lance wonders.

She puts her glasses back on and looks at Lance. “Of course I do! I just don’t think  _ she’s _ as adamant about is as I-we are.”

Lance rolls his eyes. “Keith opened up to the fact of giving her a chance. Why can’t you? She’s not as bad as you all think.”

“She’s a monster,” Hunk interjects.

Lance slams his marker down on the table, startling Pidge, Hunk, and Ezor who had been organizing Keith’s victim profile to give to Shiro. “I haven’t slept well since I was buried alive. Every time I shut my eyes, I think I’m back underground in my car with no way out. I scratch and scratch and scratch, but I can’t escape. I scream and scream but no one hears me. I wake up in a cold sweat, expecting to be back down there, but when I hear Nyma’s soft breathing from next to me…I know I’m okay.” He sighs and sits down. “You guys hate her, but she’s been helping me heal and move on from the pain. She helps me sleep at night…that’s it.”

“Lance…why didn’t you tell anyone?” Pidge wonders. “My parents sent me to a counselor, but I’ve been open about it. I have nightmares too.”

“Pidge, I think it’s different for Lance. If he is having his own mental issues on the subject, I’m not sure if he’d be allowed to act as Keith’s therapist,” Ezor says. “Lance, did you ever tell Keith about your nightmares?”

Lance shakes his head no. “I want to, but I’m supposed to be there for him and his PTSD.”

“Weren’t you the one hell-bent on building trust with Keith since you two are partners?” Hunk asks with a raised eyebrow. “I expect Keith to keep secrets because he’s a  _ lone wolf _ , but it’s surprising coming from you.”

“You think Keith’s hiding something?” Lance asks.

“He radiates mystery!” Hunk exclaims. “Pidge can comb through his computer while we look through the files Nyma brings us.”

Lance nods. “Good idea.”

Pidge purses her lips and opens her laptop. “I can access it from here. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

Lance opens his mouth to question her but stops when he sees Allura and Nyma walking over, each carrying a large stack of files. He hurries over to open the door for as they approach it.

Allura huffs in frustration. “Why do you have so many case files?!”

“I worked on a lot during my time in New York!” Nyma exclaims as they walk inside. “Thanks, honey.” She kisses Lance’s cheek then continues yelling back at Allura. “Not everyone had a daddy who worked at the FBI who could hand them a job on a silver platter!”

Allura sets her stack down on the table then glares at Nyma. “Look, you are the one who asked for my help. If all you plan to do is insult me-”

Nyma sighs and sets her stack down. “Sorry! Sorry…I just never thought I’d have to deal with these cases again. There are a lot of difficult ones in there.”

Lance shuts the door then grabs one off of Nyma’s pile. He opens it up and reads the description of the suspect. It says he’s thirty years old, had been arrested for sexual assault in the past, and finally was convicted for attempted rape. Lance shuts it and gives Nyma an unamused expression. “Did you really take up this case?”

“I was young and didn’t have a sexy profiler to help me out,” Nyma replies, smirking at him.

“That’s a bit unnecessary,” Pidge interjects without looking up from her computer.

“Guys, there are too many cases here to sort through,” Hunk says, tossing a couple back onto the table. “Keith’s on a clock.”

“Okay, focus on the ones where Keith went against orders from his superiors and ones where Keith got into scuffles or disputes with the suspect,” Lance instructs, grabbing a few files to look through.

“Lance, you’ll have to narrow it down from there,” Nyma says. “The majority of these are just that.”

Allura drops the couple folders she was holding and crosses her arms. “How about you tell us what we should be looking for?”

Nyma sighs and rubs her forehead. “He did his job well which made my job ten times harder, but he was a hothead when it came to drug dealers and gangs in general. I don’t know why, but he just hated them more than the other cases he worked.”

“Who would like them?” Ezor wonders.

“Well, considering I made most of my living defending them…I treated them with respect and gave them the defense they rightfully deserved,” Nyma explains.

“Get to the point,” Pidge grumbles.

“My point is if you want to find who kidnapped Keith, look at the drug dealers and gang members. They didn’t like that Keith wasn’t scared of them and I recall several making threats against him,” Nyma shares. “I, of course, was terrified of them so I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Alright! Let’s start sorting!” Lance exclaims.

They begin making three piles of files. The first pile deals with anything to do with drugs. Whether it’d be possession of drugs or caught in the middle of an exchange, it’s in there. The second pile has to do with any gang-related crimes where groups vandalized places, stole anything, or even just caused a disturbance in quiet areas. The third pile is everything that doesn’t fit what Nyma said - domestic violence, sex traffickers, kidnappings, etc.

“Keith seriously had no issue with pedophiles? I find that hard to believe,” Pidge says as she tosses a file onto the third pile.

“They tend to get what they deserve in prison,” Lance explains. “Keith probably knew that so he didn’t have to do it himself.”

Pidge raises an eyebrow. “So, even a bank robber knows molesting children is wrong?”

“Specific example, but yes,” Lance replies.

“Okay, I’ve got an interesting one,” Ezor interrupts. “In this report, it says Keith claimed to have found information relating to his mother’s disappearance so he went after someone named Walter Commings.”

Nyma nods. “I remember that one. It was an old gang member trying to bring the broken group back together, but Keith stopped them before that could happen. I knew representing them was futile, but he offered me so much money.”

“So you sacrificed a loss on your record for a bunch of money?” Allura wonders.

“A girl had to eat…and pay off loans,” Nyma replies.

“Anyway…it says Walter attacked Keith and Keith ended up giving him a black eye and a broken wrist,” Ezor continues. “Could he be wanting revenge?”

“No, the guy died shortly after he was put in prison,” Nyma says. “He was a heavy smoker for most of his life and his lungs just gave out.”

“What about this! A drug dealer named Bartholomew Vector killed his wife because she found out what he was up to,” Hunk offers. “It says here Keith nearly killed him while arresting him.”

Nyma rolls her eyes. “Yeah…I mean he was asking for it! You all know Keith’s set off easily when the right words are said.”

“Is that what happened?” Lance wonders.

“Yep! I tried to exploit that when the trial came, but the evidence against Bartholomew was too strong,” Nyma answers. “I don’t actually know where he is now.”

“Still in prison,” Pidge replies. “I just looked him up.”

“How about this one? Keith apparently went undercover to infiltrate a gang before they murdered a city council member but never told his boss,” Allura says, handing the file to Lance.

“This one seems promising,” Lance replies. “All the right motive is there and it seems like this guy - Nigel Kilms - has the right contacts to pull it off.” He turns to Nyma. “What do you think?”

“I do remember Nigel threatening Keith on the day of the trial,” Nyma admits.

Pidge types on her computer then shakes her head. “Sorry guys, but Nigel and his contacts have all been in California for the past year.”

Lance slams the file down on the table. “Damn. I really thought we had it there.” He sighs. “This is useless! We’re never going to find Keith at this rate.”

“Pidge, did you find  _ anything _ on Keith’s computer?” Ezor asks. “Nothing he’s doing behind Shiro’s back? Like - I don’t know - his mother’s disappearance?”

“I-I’m still looking, but if that’s true…you don’t really think that that’s what could’ve gotten him kidnapped, right?” Pidge asks nervously.

Lance narrows his eyes at her. “Pidge, what do you know?”

“I-I don’t know anything!” she exclaims defensively.

“She’s lying,” Hunk interjects.

“I cannot be in here for this,” Allura says. “If she and Keith had been digging into that case, I would have to tell Shiro immediately.” She waves goodbye and walks out of the room.

“Katherine, you be honest with me right now. Are you and Keith investigating that case?” Lance demands.

Pidge bites her lip and nods. “We’ve been investigating Krolia’s case and Matt’s case since the Christmas bomber case.”

“Oh my god - oh my  _ god _ !” Hunk exclaims. “The hell were you thinking?! Both of you could be fired for this!”

Lance bites his tongue and looks away. “You’ve kept this from us since December?! Nine months - nine months! Was it worth it, Pidge? Was whatever you found worth it!?” He shakes his head. “What did you even find? Clearly, it was enough to get whoever did it scared enough to KIDNAP HIM!”

Nyma places her hand on Lance’s shoulder, rubbing it. “Lance, babe, calm down. They made a mistake but yelling at her won’t help you get Keith back.”

Lance takes a deep breath and nods. “I know…I know. Thank you.”

“The only things I found were two names that kept coming up when I searched Krolia’s name,” Pidge shares. “The names are Ranveig Kuznetsov and Ladnok Nikolaev. I think they’re part of the Russian mob or something.”

“Russian Intelligence? That’s out of our jurisdiction. That’s like CIA level shit,” Hunk says. “I thought Keith’s mom was a U.S. Attorney?”

“As far as we know she is, but it gets weirder. I found this looking through my brother’s old computer,” Pidge adds. “It didn’t make sense to me so I sent it to Keith to see if he had any thoughts. Clearly, those names are important enough to get Keith kidnapped.”

“The question is, what do they mean? If we can answer that, then we can figure out who took Keith,” Lance states.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith gasps, opening his eyes widely. He looks around the room in a blind panic, noting that he doesn’t appear to be back in the basement Trugg was holding him in. The walls and floors of this room are completely painted black and there is only one light in the room, the one shining above Keith. He looks down and sees he’s wearing his black jeans, red T-shirt, red converse, and black leather jacket. He’s still bounded by the same chains on his feet and hands as he was before, but he’s free of blood.

His gaze snaps to in front of him when he hears someone clear their throat. “Who’s there!?” Keith demands. “I know you’re there!”

A man steps out from the shadows, smirking. Keith glares when he sees Haxus looking back at him. “The fuck are you doing here? You died! You blew up from your own damn bomb!” Keith yells.

“ _ And yet, here I am! Completely intact _ ,” Haxus drawls out. “ _ Seems you’ve got yourself in quite the pickle here. Let me guess…your mother’s case gone awry? _ ”

“Why don’t you take these shackles off and we can duke this out like men?” Keith asks.

Haxus chuckles. “ _ It’s not that simple, Kogane. I’m here to deliver a message from beyond the grave - from your mother. _ ”

Keith clenches his jaw and spits at Haxus. “You bastard! She isn’t dead!”

“ _ Oh, really? Then why do I recall torturing your mother before watching her slowly bleed out from one swift slash to her throat? _ ” Haxus wonders, crossing his arms.

“You’re lying.”

He points his finger at Keith and begins pacing. “ _ On the contrary, it was an unorthodox form of torture, but quite enjoyable if you know what I mean. _ ”

Keith pulls on the restraints. “You better shut the fuck up right now.”

“ _ She’s very good _ ,” Haxus finishes. “ _ Anyway, right before we put the finishing blow on her, we told her we’d kill you next, but she didn’t care. She told us to go ahead and do it because she never cared about you. In fact, she said she enjoyed watching your father beat you senseless. _ ”

Keith screams loudly. “JUST SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” He collapses, hanging limp. “Shut…up.”

He lowers his head and closes his eyes, feeling a tear run down his cheek. Keith tries to hold it back, but he lets out a loud wail, sobbing loudly. He weeps and weeps where he hangs, blaming himself for not doing more to save his mom. Could she really be dead? No…they would’ve stumbled onto her corpse by now…

“ _ Keith? Keith is that you? _ ” Shiro’s voice sounds from the darkness. “ _ Keith! _ ”

Keith looks up, hope in his eyes, but it disappears when he sees a younger looking Shiro step into the light. One that has completely black hair and a real right arm. “ _ Thank goodness! I have some good news for you _ ,” Shiro says. “ _ I’m passing my position down to you. _ ”

“What? Shiro-” Keith starts.

“ _ No, don’t interrupt. Let me finish _ ,” Shiro continues. “ _ You have many, many flaws - most of which my bosses should use to not give you the job. You don’t follow directions, you don’t follow the rules, you play by your own gut and it puts people in danger. _ ” He sighs. “ _ However, you’re excellent in the field and have a knack for telling other people what to do. People follow you without question because you radiate confidence. You’re passionate about what you do and always get justice for the victims. You’d die for your partner and that’s something that can’t be taught. _ ” Shiro takes a step closer to Keith. “ _ You have PTSD, no question, but you don’t let it control you. It’s become a part of you, driving you to make sure no one else suffers what you’ve suffered and I admire that about you. _ ”

Keith shakes his head. “Why are you saying this?”

“ _ Because when you get out of here, you’re going to demand a makeup meeting with my bosses _ ,” Shiro answers. “ _ Keep fighting, Keith. We’re coming. _ ” He walks away out of sight, leaving Keith there confused.

As Keith tries to comprehend what just happened, another figure appears in front of him. Keith lets out a sigh of relief when he sees Lance’s friendly, happy face beaming up at him. He’s wearing a very fancy tuxedo, has his hair styled, and isn’t wearing his glasses. He looks absolutely stunning. “Lance, I-” Keith starts.

“ _ Don’t speak _ ,” Lance instructs, holding his hand up. “ _ Just - stop. Hearing your voice is like nails on a chalkboard! After listening to all your issues, I asked if I could be transferred to someone else, but you seemed to have developed a connection to me. _ ” He chuckles. “ _ Which is absurd because I’m in love with Nyma. Why do you think I’m in this suit? We’re getting married. _ ”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Nyma walks out wearing a very revealing white wedding dress. The top half of it is made out of lace with spaghetti straps. The cut goes down well past her chest and is slightly see through. The bottom half is a silky mermaid style that opens up at the bottom.

She saunters up next to Lance and wraps her arms around his neck before closing the gap between them for a passionate kiss. It’s obvious she leads, directing Lance where to go. She runs his fingers through his hair and presses herself against him. Lance wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her even closer, tilting his head and kissing her deeper. Nyma smirks slightly and pulls away, leading Lance a little before turning to Keith. “ _ Jealous? I bet. He’s really good. _ ”

“Wh-why are you doing this?” Keith asks, fighting back the urge to cry again.

Lance gives Nyma another kiss then walks up to Keith. “ _Because you’re in love with me and I’m showing you that it’ll never happen. Get that through your head, Keith. You’re pathetic and I don’t need you to ruin my life. You hear me, Keith?_ _Keith!_ Come on, buddy, wake up. Please wake up.”

Keith stirs and looks up at Lance, terrified. He tries to get away, muttering apologies and pleas of mercy, but Lance keeps a tight grip on him. “Hey, you’re okay. It’s okay,” Lance reassures him.

“A-are you real? Is this real?” Keith asks, terrified. He expects Lance to ridicule him some more but is surprised when Lance gingerly takes his cheek in his hand.

Lance wipes some blood off his cheek. “I’m real…I’m real.”

Keith bites his lip, feeling a tear roll down his cheek as he hugs Lance tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck. “Don’t…don’t leave me.”

Lance hugs him back. “I won’t, I promise.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, so looking deeper into the notes on my brother’s computer, it’s a dead end!” Pidge exclaims. “There’s nothing here on who this Ranveig or Ladnok are.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head. “Pidge, the notes on the right don’t match the ones on the left. The ones on the right are clearly your brother’s but the left ones…not so much.”

“What does that mean?” Pidge wonders.

“The language and tone! It’s more sophisticated,” Lance comments. “Oddly it reminds me a bit of Allura.”

Suddenly Hunk spits out his water onto the table, choking on it. Lance, Pidge, Nyma, and Ezor look at him with confused expressions. “Hunk! Get a grip!” Pidge scolds.

Hunk wipes his mouth and gives her a stern expression. “Are you telling me you don’t get what Lance is saying? Sophisticated manner, sly, cocky with a dash of schmoozer?” He raises his eyebrows and smirks.

“I never said-” Lance starts.

“Son of a  _ bitch _ !” Nyma exclaims. “No way. He’s been gone two years.”

Hunk shrugs. “Same amount of time Matt’s been gone and it lines up with when Shiro was tortured.”

Lance turns to Ezor. “Do you know what they’re talking about?”

“Special Agent Lotor Isola,” Ezor replies dully, crossing her arms.

Lance raises his eyebrows. “Who?”

“The hotshot agent before Keith came into the picture,” Nyma clarifies. “Honestly, if I had to pick between the two, I’d pick Keith. He makes my job fun.” She smirks and wiggles her eyebrows.

“Stop it,” Pidge warns.

Hunk lightly whacks Pidge before looking at Lance. “Are you sure that these are two different sets of notes?”

“Yes,” Lance replies.

“Then this is bigger than we think. Could Lotor, Matt, Shiro, and Krolia be involved in the same thing?” Hunk wonders.

“Damn I love this job,” Pidge comments with a smile.

“Guys, we’re losing focus on the task at hand. The names Pidge sent Keith in the email is what got him kidnapped,” Ezor says, bringing everyone back to reality. “Ranveig and Ladnok. Who are they?”

“Russians,” Hunk answers.

“Thank you, captain obvious,” Ezor retorts sarcastically. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and start theorizing. What if we’re overthinking this?”

Pidge crosses her arms. “How so?”

“I mean just think about it! We’re not finding anything in Matt’s computer about these Russians,” Ezor says. “What if they’re connected to Keith in a different way? Have you guys put away anyone recently who has Russian relatives?”

“Where’d that come from?” Nyma wonders.

“The crime scene seemed too disorganized to be a hit team,” Ezor explains. “Yet it was organized enough to have been planned.”

Pidge begins typing on her computer, shaking her head in the process. “I honestly don’t think-” She pauses, fingers freezing above the keys. “Holy shit. I can’t believe I missed this!” Pidge pulls up on the projector the background on Samuel Kefter, also known as the Snake.

“Pidge, that’s the drug dealer that nearly sliced my throat opened,” Lance says. “How is he relevant to this?”

“Kefter is the name he took when he came to the United States from Russia,” Pidge shares. “I couldn’t find any of this before because it wasn’t relevant nor was it available. He’s in jail now so it would’ve been found! Oh my god.”

“Does he have any family?” Hunk asks. “Aside from the daughter.”

“Parents are dead, but he has a sister named Amelia Kefter,” Pidge answers, pulling up her picture. She has short brown hair cut very short in the back with long side bangs to her chin covering one of her eyes. Amelia has pale skin, a nose piercing, a lip piercing, and several spiked earrings in both her ears. “She’s been in Russia the entire time until about when Samuel was arrested.”

“Awesome!” Lance exclaims. “Let’s go tell Shiro and-”

“Whoa!” Ezor interrupts. “Do you think we can just stroll over there riding snow-white horses, dressed in silver knight armor with you wielding the sword of Excalibur? Do you think you’ll be able to ride up there, slain Amelia and whoever else has Keith captive then kneel down in front of him, scoop him into your arms with him looking up at you, eyes sparkling and dreamily calling you his hero? After that will you two ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after? The end?”

Hunk fake sniffles. “Pidge, pass the tissues.”

“I don’t appreciate the mockery, but I like the scene you set,” Lance comments. “When we get Keith back, I’m gonna tell him that’s what happened.”

“Charming,” Nyma says with a smirk. “I’ll leave you guys to it then. Good luck.” She begins putting her files back into two piles again then carries one of them out of the meeting room, planning on coming back for the second one later.

“Shiro’s going to want to know how we got to this,” Ezor states. “What are we going to tell him?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Lance says.

Pidge looks at Lance. “Are you going to tell Shiro what Keith and I did?”

Lance clenches his jaw. “I’ll think about it. We still need a location where he is. Amelia would want to take Keith somewhere secluded where she could do her dirty work.”

“Would it be near the church the funeral was at?” Hunk asks.

Lance shakes his head no. “She had a car to take him further away. Does Samuel have any contacts in that area? Maybe someone with a basement that’s perfect to hold someone captive?”

“Uhmm…” Pidge begins typing on her computer. “Most of these places have been bought by the banks and resold to different people. Blah blah blah - okay. Barbershop owned by a chick named Lillian Deckers who had regular contact with Samuel before Keith arrested him and still writes letters to him.”

“Send the address to S.W.A.T.,” Lance instructs. “I’m going to inform Shiro. Hunk, prep Ezor and get ready once Shiro gives us the green light.”

Lance walks out and over to Shiro’s office. He knocks then opens the door, seeing Shiro on the phone.

“Yes, I know, sir,” Shiro says. He holds up his finger at Lance to tell him to wait. “Okay, thank you, sir.” He hangs up the phone and looks at Lance. “Don’t ask. Any news?”

“We know where Keith is,” Lance shares. “It’s Samuel Kefter’s sister, Amelia Kefter. She’s been in Russia this entire time, but now she’s here for her brother’s revenge.”

“Samuel Kefter as in the Snake? The druggie Keith’s been after since his days as a New York officer?” Shiro asks. “Why didn’t we find this out during his initial background check?”

“It…it wasn’t available until he was arrested,” Lance answers. “We went through old cases of Keith’s and we decided to pursue the Snake since he directly affected Keith recently when he nearly slit my throat open.”

Shiro nods. “Alright, contact S.W.A.T. and we’ll-”

“Already did,” Lance interrupts.

Shiro smiles. “Then let’s go save Keith.”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance arrives at the barbershop with Hunk, Ezor, and Shiro and begins putting on one of the FBI issued bulletproof vests. He takes a Colt M4 Carbine from one of the other agents. “Trust me, I can probably use this better than you can,” Lance assures. The agent nods and gets another gun as Lance joins Shiro, Hunk, and Ezor at the front, waiting to hear Shiro’s orders.

“Alright! Listen up,” Shiro says, addressing everyone. “Normally Keith would be the one leading these raids and in the event that he’s unable to - like this one - I would, but this is a special circumstance so Lance will be directing us.” He steps aside and nods at Lance.

Lance steps forward, clearing his throat. “Thanks, Shiro. Now, we have to assume whoever has Keith is very dangerous, but we cannot risk putting Keith in harm’s way by shooting at her. We want her alive because she could have important information.”

“Lance, we got it,” Hunk states. “This isn’t our first rodeo.”

“Ah, let the knight in shining armor have his fun,” Ezor teases. “Lead the way, Lancelot.”

Lance smiles at her then walks inside, Colt M4 Carbine aimed and ready. He leads the group through the barbershop where the chairs and mirrors are before arriving at the basement door. He carefully opens it then quietly heads down the stairs, aiming the gun in various side rooms in case anyone’s in them before reaching the door at the end of the hallway. Lance steps aside so Hunk can open the door.

Once open, Lance surveys the room before walking inside, making sure to keep his gun pointed out. He continues through the room and hears someone sharpening something. Fury rushes over Lance so he kicks open the final door, revealing a torcher chamber room of sorts. There’s a table covered in blood and bloody weapons to one side, a lit furnace on the other side, and Keith chained to a wall in the back.

A woman, Amelia Kefter, looks in shock at Lance before two other agents storm in and seize her. “How is zis possible?!” Amelia demands.

“You can thank your brother for this,” Lance replies smugly.

Amelia glowers at him as she’s handcuffed. “Zis is much bigger zan you zink, doctor.”

“Is that so? Well, tell your brother I said hello,” Lance says, unaffected. “Get her out of here.”

As the agents take her away, Lance hurries over to Keith who is slumped over and bleeding from several places. He acts quickly, removing the shackles from around his feet then his hands and catches Keith when he falls into his arms. “Keith? Keith! Come on, buddy, wake up. Please wake up.”

Keith stirs and looks up at Lance. At first, he tries to get away, muttering apologies and pleas of mercy, but Lance keeps a tight grip on him. “Hey, you’re okay. It’s okay.”

“A-are you real? Is this real?” Keith asks, terrified.

Lance wipes some blood off his cheek. “I’m real…I’m real.”

Keith hugs him tightly, burying his face in the crook of Lance’s neck. “Don’t…don’t leave me.”

Lance hugs him back. “I won’t, I promise.” He turns to Ezor and Hunk who have entered the room. “Get a stretcher down here now!” He looks back at Keith. “You’re okay…you’re gonna be okay.”

“I-I’m tired…” Keith says, beginning to fade out of consciousness.

“No, Keith, stay with me buddy,” Lance urges. “Don’t leave me now.”

Keith closes his eyes and Lance feels his side beginning to bleed harder. Lance puts pressure on the wound but stops when Keith cries out in pain because of a broken rib.

The medics finally arrive down with a stretcher and begin putting Keith on it before bringing him up with Lance’s help. Once Keith’s safely on the ambulance, Lance stands in the road and watches it drive away, not caring that he’s still covered in Keith’s blood.

Ezor joins Lance and places a hand on his shoulder. “You should get cleaned up before we head to the hospital. Pidge and Allura are already on their way. Hunk and Shiro have to stay back here and finish up some things.”

Lance nods. “Okay, but you’ll have to drive since I’m pretty much useless right now.”

“Of course,” Ezor says. She makes him turn to face her. “Hey, smile. You just saved your partner.”

Lance sighs and gives her a smile. “No,  _ we _ did.”

Ezor elbows him playfully before leading him to one of the cars. Lance looks out at the barbershop one last time before getting into the car, ready to see his partner.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith groans slightly, stirring awake. His vision is a little blurry when he opens his eyes, but he blinks a couple times and the picture becomes clearer. He notes that he’s under a stark white sheet in a hospital bed. The room around him is pretty dull, only having a TV mounted on the wall, a computer for the doctors and nurses beneath it, and a window to Keith’s left looking out on what appears to be the Atlantic Ocean. Keith sees an IV hooked up to his left arm and sees that his right arm is in a sling. He tries moving his left leg, but it’s stuck in a cast. Suddenly, Keith’s aware of the bandages around his torso, chest, and head.

Keith looks to his right to see another hospital bed that looks like someone had been sleeping in it and sees Lance sitting in a chair next to him, typing on his computer. “Lance?” Keith croaks out, voice scratchy from not being used.

Lance stops typing and turns to look at Keith. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Keith tilts his head in confusion. “What?”

“You were in surgery for eighteen hours and have been asleep for another twelve,” Lance explains.

“How long have you been here?” Keith wonders, trying to get comfortable in the bed.

“The entire time,” Lance answers. “I’ve been occupying the other empty bed in the room. Pidge wanted to stay the same amount of time too, but Shiro sent her home.”

Keith hisses in pain when he accidentally disturbed his shoulder by moving it. “Why didn’t…why didn’t he send you home?”

Lance chuckles and raises an eyebrow at him. “If our places had been switched, would you have let him send you home?”

“Touché.”

They sit in silence for a few moments until Keith decides to break the silence again. “Considering you found me…I’m guessing you know.”

“Know what? Know you and Pidge went behind everyone’s back and worked on two cases you two were specifically instructed not to work on?” Lance wonders. “Honestly, Keith, did you really think you could keep that from me?”

Keith shrugs with his good shoulder. “It was worth a shot.”

“And you almost died because of it.”

“In my defense, I thought you’d tell Shiro right away,” Keith claims. “Which, since you know, that means Pidge and I are probably out of a job.”

“I haven’t said anything to him yet,” Lance reveals. “We actually found your location through the Snake since Amelia is his sister. The Russian names Pidge sent you did, however, play a factor in you getting kidnapped, but not in the way we found you.”

Keith looks down. “Why haven’t you told Shiro?”

“Because I want answers first,” Lance states. “If you give me something logical then I won’t say anything.”

Keith looks back up at him. “What do you want to know?”

“Why don’t you trust me?” Lance asks bluntly.

Keith blinks, taken aback by the question. “What? What are you talking about?”

“I’m just trying to figure out why you didn’t tell me you were looking into your mother’s case file,” Lance states.

Keith bites his lip and looks away again, ashamed of his actions.

Lance sighs. “Mmm, okay. I guess this past year means nothing. Good to know.”

“That’s not true,” Keith says.

Lance raises an eyebrow. “It’s not? Then what is true.”

“I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d be morally obligated to tell Shiro because you’re my psychologist, but now I see that’s not the case.” Keith balls up some of the sheets in his fists. “I don’t think an apology will fix this.”

“It shouldn’t, but I think you suffered enough so I’ll forgive you,” Lance says. “In exchange, I want to make a deal with you.”

Keith looks up at him, hopefully. “Anything.”

“Don’t keep me in the dark anymore,” Lance says. “We’re partners first, psychologist and patient second. What you deem important, I deem important.”

He suddenly stands up and walks over to the door, looking into the hallway before shutting the door. “I should be honest with you too,” Lance starts as he makes his way back to his seat. “I’ve been doing some digging of my own over the past year. Nothing like what you and Pidge have been doing but mainly for building my evaluation on you.”

“What’d you find?”

“After the first case we worked on together, I looked into the man who tried to blow you up, Haxus, and began making a file on him since there wasn’t much to go on after the initial investigation,” Lance explains.

“And?!”

“And…it turns out he worked for this huge gang leader named Sendak, but his record showed he was declared dead ages ago,” Lance finishes.

Keith shakes his head no. “That’s not possible. I went after Haxus because he was one of the guys who kidnapped my mother.”

“I know,” Lance agrees. “I personally believe it was all a sham with how the files claimed Sendak died, but there’s no way to prove it’s false without raising suspicion with the bureau for investigating a so-called dead man.”

“How are we going to pursue this further?” Keith wonders.

“We’re not. We have Amelia in custody and we can get information out of her,” Lance says. “She told me this was bigger than I thought it was.”

“That’s what Haxus told me before he blew himself up!” Keith exclaims.

“When Pidge gets back, I’ll fill her in. I’ve already started a profile on these people, and it’s possible they’re all involved with one specific thing,” Lance shares. “I just don’t know what that is yet. I doubt we’ll be allowed access to Krolia’s notes without suspicions being raised.”

“I already tried anyway,” Keith says. “No one knows where the notes went on the last thing she worked on.”

Lance opens his mouth to say something else, but a nurse walks in with some more of Keith’s medication. “I’ll take this as a sign to head out. I’ll come and visit you later, alright?” He stands up and ruffles Keith’s hair. “Get better soon, Ruby Red.”

Keith smiles at Lance. “Bye,  _ Sir Lancelot _ .” He waves as Lance walks out of the room. The nurse begins giving him more medication and starts explaining the road to healing from here. She explains the physical therapy he’ll be going through and the various medications he needs to take so none of his injuries get infected.

If all goes well, he’ll be free to go by the end of next month - October.

It’s time to get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art will resume next chapter! It's a Halloween special so I hope to have it out by October!
> 
> Chapter 8 of the Wands of Marmora is up! Check it out [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15010913/chapters/36259104/)!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Author's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)


	7. The Grinning Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a month of recovery, Keith's finally able to return to his job and team to solve murders and catch criminals. The first case Keith gets to work on after his time away has to do with a mysterious disappearance of a woman named Maiya Rose. She was last seen walking home from the grocery store followed by a man with a sickly, grotesque expression. With Halloween on the horizon, could this be just some prank or is something sinister lurking in the darkness?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THREE WEEKS EARLIER THAN PLANNED! I originally wanted this to be a special Halloween chapter that I would post on Halloween, but the artist convinced me to post it today. We're saving something else to post on Halloween.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy~

* * *

_Devil’s Night, October 30_

* * *

 

Keith tightens his grip on his motorcycle handle, taking a deep breath as he lightly squeezes on the breaks so he comes to a stop at the stop light. He sets his foot on the ground and sits back on his seat, glancing around at the other cars and scenery through his helmet. A few people jog past on the sidewalk while others walk their dogs or push around a stroller. Normally, there would be a slightly darker tint when Keith looks through his helmet since his old one covered his entire face and had a tinted visor, but it was smashed in half during the crash. He had to get out his first helmet which only really protects his head. It’s bright red, has a clear visor to protect his eyes from the wind, and has a buckle that goes over his chin.

He looks back at his bike and smiles at it. It’s been a while since he rode a bike last and he’s missed it immensely. The bike he’s on isn’t his original since that was also destroyed in the crash. He’s on one he’s been fixing up and upgrading. This one is also red but has many more features than the other one Keith had. There’s a larger front panel on it with a little windshield/wind blocker, the extra seat on the motorcycle behind the driver has a back to it, and there are two containers on either side of the seats. He keeps his bag inside the containers now instead of on his back.

Keith couldn’t ride his motorcycle because he had been recovering in the hospital for about two months from a crash that was orchestrated by a Russian woman named Amelia Kefter also known as “Trugg.” She kidnapped him after he was heading home from Kiara’s, Hunk’s niece, funeral and physically and mentally tortured him severely until being rescued by his team. After being placed in the hospital, he underwent surgery to fix his broken bones and any internal bleeding that occurred. He spent a few weeks in recovery then began his physical therapy, but since Keith’s a very impatient man, he gave the nurses a very hard time. The rules given by the doctors were that he wasn’t allowed to walk around by himself, but Keith obviously ignored them. When Keith finally got fed up with the nurses, he told them he’d only let Lance help him walk otherwise he’d walk around himself. The nurses were fine with the compromise as long as they were there to monitor. Lance, on the other hand, was embarrassed and very apologetic to the nurses for Keith’s attitude.

Apparently, the nurses have dealt with worse – if that’s even possible. Not to be full of himself, but Keith was a handful and even managed to get Lance angry a few times. Was he trying to accomplish that? Perhaps. Is he proud of it? Most definitely.

Keith breaks out of his thoughts and glances up impatiently at the red light, glaring at it to hopefully make it change to green. After another minute of waiting, it turns green, and Keith immediately takes off down the road again. He shifts the gears with his left foot and takes a sharp left turn down the road, soaring past two cars in the right lane. Keith smirks to himself when he hears them honk but doesn’t react as he turns into the parking garage. He salutes the workers as they lift up the gate for him. Keith pulls in his usual parking spot next to Lance’s, but he doesn’t recognize the car parked in it. He concludes Lance must’ve gotten a new one after he was buried alive with his old one. This one is a sleek white Camaro convertible – much different than Lance’s old Toyota.

Keith gets off his bike, removing his helmet and knocks on the driver’s side window, startling Lance who was gathering his stuff. He frantically shoves it into his bag and gets out of the car, pulling Keith into a tight hug. “Keith! Oh my god! Why didn’t you call and say you were coming back to work today?!” Lance asks.

“I wanted to surprise everyone,” Keith replies, hugging him back.

Lance pulls away and snatches the helmet out of his hand. “First of all, I’m so happy you’re back. Teaching those profiling classes during your absence was a drag, and I’m pretty sure some of the girls were only there because of my looks. Second of all, I don’t think you were cleared to ride your bike again, but then again you don’t really give a shit so why bother saying anything? Third of all, the hell is this? This won’t protect you! Your old one barely did that!”

“I’m glad to be back, you’re probably right about the girls, I cleared myself,” Keith lists off as he takes the helmet back, “and I haven’t been able to find a suitable replacement so I had to dig up this ancient one from back when I was in college.” He shuts off the ignition on the bike and twists the lock on it. Keith grabs his stuff from the compartments and leads Lance inside the building. “I know it’s not safe, but this bike is much sturdier and more reliable than my other one.”

Lance presses lock on his car keys, car honking to signal it’s locked. “You mean the one that was crushed by Amelia’s car?” Lance asks as they walk to the elevator. “How is that one safer?”

Keith enters the elevator and presses the third-floor button. “Because I built and fixed it up myself.”

Lance opens his mouth to retort, but he decides against it, nodding in agreement as the elevator slowly makes its way up. It jolts to a halt when it reaches the third floor, and the doors creak open. Keith leads Lance through the glass doors, down to where Shiro and Ezor are standing by Pidge at Keith’s desk. Keith raises an eyebrow and sets his helmet down on his desk. “What are you guys looking at?”

Shiro turns and glares at the helmet. “I don’t recall telling you that you were allowed to ride your motorcycle again,” Shiro comments, crossing his arms.

“You don’t dictate that part of my life, and it’s been nearly two months…I missed my bike,” Keith counters as he takes his leather gloves off. He peeks at Pidge’s screen and sees the article title: “ _Local Legend of the Grinning Man! Fact or Fiction?_ ”

“Pidge, why are you looking at that?” Lance questions.

“It’s All Hallows’ Eve, Lance! I’m just getting into the spooky lore!” Pidge exclaims. “Plus, Keith and I _always_ find something to obsess over each Halloween. I’m just looking through some final things before we decide.”

“Pidge, I think you’ve outdone yourself with this one,” Keith says with a smile.

“Outdone herself with wh—AHHH!” Hunk screams as Pidge scrolls down, revealing a picture of the Grinning Man.

Keith scrunches his nose in disgust at the picture. The man’s face is a sickly pale color with black, crazed-looking eyes sunk deep into the skull. His crooked teeth form into a twisted wide smile, showing yellowing and decay on them. Keith turns to Hunk and smirks. “Legend says there’s a certain bridge downtown where he resides.”

Hunk’s eyes widen in fear as Keith slowly stands up, grinning evilly at Hunk. “Keith, don’t mess with me man. You know I’m jumpy!” Hunk exclaims.

Keith raises his eyebrows. “Oh, I’m not lying to you. He lives there and scares anyone who dares to walk on his bridge, the Night Sky Bridge, at night. If he catches you, he follows you wherever you go no matter where you are. His sickening grin haunts your nightmares, making you never want to leave your home again.” He slams his hands down on the table. “But you see him in the darkest corner of your room, slowly making his way towards you…knife in—”

Ezor scoffs. “We all know this is merely an urban legend, and all these so-called _sightings_ are fake. No one looks like that, let alone acts like that. Even if they did, they’d be put in a mental institution.”

Hunk sighs of relief. “Thank you Ezor!” He glares at Keith. “Take that!”

Pidge scoffs. “You guys are just in denial. That makes you more prone to being hunted by the Grinning Man.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows. “How does he know this? Is he psychic or something?”

“Oh, of course,” Keith says, turning to Lance. “In fact, he might be here now…lurking…waiting for his next victim.” He leans forward and smirks. “It could be you.”

Lance rolls his eyes. “I doubt that very much. Besides, stuff like that doesn’t scare me, anymore. Sorry!” He shrugs, chuckling at Keith’s irked expression.

Keith grumbles and looks away from him, scrambling to take his leather jacket off. Ezor opens her mouth to comment but stops when Shiro’s phone rings. Everyone goes silent as Shiro pulls it out of his pocket and answers it. “Shirogane.” His eyebrows furrow and he quickly makes his way over to his office. “Yes Director Alfor, I am.”

Keith and the others exchange surprised expressions and turn to the door when they hear it shut. Pidge quickly sets her laptop down and scurries over to the door to listen in. Keith and Hunk follow in suit, pressing their ears up against the door to try to listen to the conversation.

“Guys, that’s nearly a four-inch thick wooden door,” Lance comments.

“You won’t be able to hear anything,” Ezor continues. “That’s how they were made.”

Pidge waves her arm at them to make them be quiet. Keith strains to hear anything behind the door, but it all comes out muffled. Eventually, the voice stops and the doorknob jiggles before it opens, sending Keith, Hunk, and Pidge onto the floor. Hunk on the ground first, followed by Keith on top of him then Pidge onto Keith. Shiro looks down at them with an annoyed expression. “Seriously? This door is like four inches thick, did you really expect to hear anything?” he wonders.

Pidge frowns. “It was worth a shot!”

He offers a hand to help her up, allowing Keith to get up on his own. Keith turns and offers a hand to Hunk, hoisting him to his feet. Shiro then claps his hands together and points to the conference room. “Everyone meet in there, now. We’ve got a new case.” He leads everyone to the room and waits for everyone to take a seat before writing on the whiteboard. He picks up a black marker and begins writing _The Grinning Man_ in all capital letters at the top.

Lance tilts his head in confusion. “Uh, Shiro? Is this a joke for Halloween to get us in the spirit?”

Shiro sighs and turns to everyone. “I wish I was joking, but there’s a missing person’s report of a twenty-three year old named Maiya Rose who had been staying in her home for the past week because she claimed to have seen the Grinning Man when she walked over the Arlington Memorial Bridge—or, as she called it, the Night Sky Bridge—to get groceries one night. Local police didn’t believe her story, but now we have evidence that she could be dead. When her neighbors went to check up on her, they saw that there was blood on part of the door and the house was left a mess. Maiya was nowhere in sight.”

“Are you serious? I thought you didn’t believe in this crap! This has to be some prank phone call or it’s staged. Halloween is tomorrow and we always get shit like this,” Hunk argues.

Shiro continues writing things down on the board. “Hunk, we should take every phone call seriously until the evidence shows otherwise.”

“What do we know about the victim other than the fact that she stayed at home?” Lance asks.

Shiro points to a file on the table. “You can take a look at that and tell me your thoughts.”

Lance sits down and opens the file, beginning to sort through it. Keith sits down next to him and peers over his shoulder. It appears that Maiya Rose had been seeing several different therapists for her severe anxiety. Lance raises an eyebrow and grabs a pen and a pad of paper from the center of the table to start writing things down.

“Are you making a victim profile on her?” Keith wonders.

Lance nods. “Yeah. It’ll help us get into her mindset and figure out her daily routine. According to these doctor’s notes, it appears she has severe anxiety and a mild case of OCD, but I’m not sure if this is correct. Shiro, were these therapists competent?”

Keith holds back a laugh. “Usually _I’m_ the one to call people dumb.”

“That’s not—” Lance sighs. “It’s just that if she refused to leave her house for periods of time, she could have some form of agoraphobia.”

Shiro turns to look at him. “You think? Okay, well that could really help us out.”

“Yeah, I’d like to talk to her most recent therapist since he’s stayed with her the longest,” Lance says.

“Alright, I’ll make that call when we’re finished in here,” Shiro replies.

“What other leads do we have so far?” Ezor wonders.

“Aside from Lance’s therapist idea, we only have the security camera footage at the grocery store she went to, and an eyewitness who claimed to have seen Maiya walking home in the neighborhood that same night,” Shiro shares.

“That eyewitness could be the kidnapper or murderer,” Keith interjects.

“That’s a bold accusation,” Hunk comments.

“Well, from my experience, it’s a good way to get suspicion put away from you and onto someone else,” Keith explains. “There’s a possibility that it isn’t the eyewitness, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

Shiro nods. “You’re right, Keith. That’s why I’m having you and Lance go interview the guy. He lives two doors down from Maiya. When you come back, the therapist will be waiting to be interviewed here.” He quickly scribbles down an address and hands it to Lance. “Hunk, you go with Pidge to go over security footage again and see if you can find anything else where she was and where she went. Ezor and I will talk with the officers that answered the call and saw what happened.”

Keith stands up and grabs Lance’s arm, dragging him with. “I’m driving us. You drive like an old man.”

Lance stumbles to keep up. “Why are you in such a rush? We’re not on a set schedule.”

“I’m always in a rush,” Keith interrupts as they walk past Keith’s desk so he can grab his jacket. “Lance, we’ve been partners for over a year, shouldn’t you know this by now?”

Lance smiles fondly at Keith but doesn’t say anything else on the subject. They walk into the parking garage and get into one of the SUVs. Keith quickly backs out and drives down the road, probably faster than he needs to. Lance grips the armrests tightly. “Keith, you don’t need to go so fast,” Lance says. “We’re not in a hurry nor are we on your motorcycle—KEITH!”

Keith slams on the breaks as someone walks out into the street in Maiya’s neighborhood. He moves his arm to Lance to prevent him from hitting the dashboard and feels Lance hold his arm tightly.

“What the shit? Why is this dumbass walking in the middle of the road?” Keith wonders. They watch as he makes his way into the house two doors down from Maiya’s. Keith looks around at the other houses, noting the old, grimy, run-down feel to them. Most of the houses look like they’re on their last legs, pieces of sidings falling off, bricks crushed, wood rotted away, shingles in bits, etc. This must be one of the poorer sections of the area. The people seem to have no regard for looking for cars when they cross the street, probably since no one ever comes down this street. Keith doesn’t blame them—it’s weird here.

Shaking the thoughts away, Keith tries to pull his arm away from Lance, but he has an iron grip on it. “Lance, let go.”

Lance turns to him, eyes wide, but quickly pulls away as if Keith’s arm burned him. “Sorry…I just—sorry.”

Keith raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on it as he pulls up in front of Maiya’s house. He hops out of the car and waits for Lance. “You okay?” he asks as Lance slowly gets out of the car.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Lance replies with a smile. “Let’s talk to the neighbor first then maybe we can take a look inside Maiya’s house. We might find Shiro and Ezor there.”

Keith eyes Lance suspiciously, but he lets it go for now. “They were just going to talk to the officers. I don’t think they’re going inside,” Keith comments as they make their way to Maiya’s neighbor’s house. “If you want, we could look inside.”

“I thought about it, but—” Lance stops talking abruptly as they see the neighbor’s house. Keith cringes at the weed-ridden, dying lawn and the dirty house. The paint is chipping off the walls and there is tape on several blinds. They exchange a nervous expression as they approach the front door. Keith raises his fist to knock, but the door opens before he can.

The man who opened the door immediately smiles when he sees Lance and Keith, showing off his pearly white teeth. His buzzcut, raven black hair makes his face seem bigger than it actually is. His dark brown, almost black eyes sparkle, putting Keith on edge. “Hello! Are you investigating Maiya Rose’s disappearance?” he asks.

“Kidnapping,” Keith corrects, “and yes, we are.” Keith pulls out his badge and shows it. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is my partner, Doctor Lance McClain. You claim to have seen Maiya come home the night she was kidnapped?”

The man nods and steps aside. “That’s right! Come on in, we better bring this conversation inside.”

Keith gestures for Lance to walk in first before following, shutting the door behind him. He avoids touching anything in the house because just about everything has a layer of dust and dirt on it. The couch and chairs in the living room look like they haven’t been vacuumed in years while the mantle, coffee table, and side tables look like they haven’t been dusted since the day they were bought. How the hell could someone live like this? Granted, Keith hates cleaning his apartment, but he couldn’t live in filth like this. He mainly has clothes scattered in the bedroom so it’s messy but not dirty.

The man gestures for Lance and Keith to take a seat, but Keith declines. “This won’t take long,” he replies, pulling out his notepad. “Okay, Mister—”

“Doe, Ronald Doe,” the man offers with another wide smile.

“Mister Doe, what time did you see Maiya walking home last night?” Keith asks as Lance walks around the living room, glancing at the knickknacks and pictures.

“Around ten o’clock, I was walking outside to take the trash out when I saw her walking down the street, carrying a few bags of groceries,” Ronald shares. “She wasn’t alone though…someone was following her.”

Keith writes the information down. “Did you get a good look at the stalker?”

“It was a bit dark out, but from what I could make out from the streetlights, they had a malnourished, pale face with a huge, unnatural looking smile. They also had black eyes,” Ronald explains, no longer smiling.

Keith exchanges a knowing but terrified expression with Lance before turning back to Ronald. “Are you sure? I know it’s Halloween and all, but this is a serious investigation.”

“I know how it sounds, Agent Kogane, but it’s the truth. I didn’t sleep a wink that night!” Ronald exclaims.

“Um, alright…was it normal for Maiya to go to the grocery store late at night?” Keith asks.

Ronald nods. “She’s an odd woman, but she claimed that her therapist said it helped her get over her anxiety,” Ronald replies.

Lance turns and looks at him. “How do you know about that?”

“I had lunch over at her house a couple weeks ago, and she told me how her new therapist was going through different methods of helping her get over her anxiety,” Ronald explains.

Lance looks at Keith with a slightly irritated expression, signaling he would like to leave. Keith nods at Lance then finishes writing some things in his notepad before looking back at Ronald. “Okay, thank you, Ronald. This will help us figure out what happened. If you remember anything else, call.” He hands Ronald his card.

Lance turns and smiles. “Yes, thank you for the kind hospitality.”

Ronald smiles again. “No problem! I’m glad I could help! Have a great day!” He shows Lance and Keith out and shuts the door behind him after they leave.

Keith walks down from the porch and sees a few of the neighbors staring at them. He makes eye contact with a scowling man, but the man immediately smiles and waves at Keith when he realizes Keith’s looking at him. Keith gives a polite nod and turns to Lance. “Lance, stay close, please. Let’s head back to the office.”

Lance stands next to Keith. “You’re getting a weird feeling too? Something’s off about this, but I can’t figure it out,” he says as they walk to the car and get inside. “I mean Ronald was a perfectly nice person, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way.”

“What do you mean?” Keith asks as he starts driving back to the station. “He was a weirdo, but he didn’t pose as a threat to me.”

Lance shakes his head no. “Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly, Keith. For all we know, he could be lying to us. You didn’t view him as a threat because you could easily overpower him if needed, but I could tell he was controlling how the conversation would go. I think he was holding something back from you when you were asking questions. Plus all the pictures in his house were the generic ones you see in the frames at the store. Everything about him just seemed almost forced in a way. I noticed there was dust on the surrounding areas, but the picture frames were completely dust free.”

“Really? The only information he actually gave that helped was about her anxiety,” Keith replies. “Which probably isn’t real because you said her therapist was incompetent. Do you really think he could’ve done this to her?”

“I’m not sure. People like him are unpredictable, but I won’t jump to any conclusions right now.” Lance fixes his tie. “And, yes, I’m going to have several words with him when we talk to him,” Lance grumbles, crossing his arms. “It’s stuff like that that really pisses me off.”

“It seems like a minor thing to me,” Keith counters, coming to a stop at a stop light.

“Misdiagnoses are something I don’t take lightly,” Lance states. “It’s unprofessional and is really harmful to the patient. Imagine if I misdiagnosed you and said you didn’t have PTSD but something else.”

“You’d be out of a job, and I would never get to be in the field again if I had another episode,” Keith answers, pressing on the gas pedal.

Lance smiles at him. “Exactly! Now, back to Ronald. Obviously, that man has some mental health issues of his own, but I won’t get into that right now. All of the stuff on the mantel also had price tags still on them. It just didn’t seem _normal_ to have it like that. It’s like he wasn’t real.”

“He could be the Grinning Man,” Keith offers with a chuckle as he pulls into the parking garage.

“Keith, just no. That’s not helpful,” Lance replies with a frown as he gets out of the car. “The Grinning Man isn’t real, and he has nothing to do with this!”

Keith smirks and walks inside the building with Lance. “Am I getting on your nerves?”

“Little bit!” Lance exclaims. “Oh, wait, you’re enjoying this. Hah, that’s funny…real funny, jackass. Making fun of the guy who saved your life—real funny.” He huffs in annoyance as they wait for the elevator.

Keith laughs as the elevator door opens. A couple agents walk out then Keith and Lance walk inside. Keith presses the third-floor button before turning to Lance. “I’m sorry, Sir Lancelot, I won’t hurt your feelings anymore.”

Lance groans and stomps out of the elevator and leads Keith into the conference room where Ezor and Shiro are. Ezor raises an eyebrow when she sees Lance with his arms crossed. “Lance, what’s wrong?”

“I hurt Sir Lancelot’s feelings so he’s pouting,” Keith interjects. “Just ignore him. What’d you guys find out from the officers? I have some things from the witness.”

Ezor chuckles, shaking her head. “Amazing.”

“Uh, well, it matches up with what I heard on the phone,” Shiro shares, stepping away from the whiteboard. “Maiya had not left her home in a week and when they were called out to the scene, they saw the door was forced open. Inside, the living room was a mess with groceries scattered all over the floor. Blood was found on the portion of the door inside the house.”

“Whose blood is it?” Keith asks.

“It’s being tested right now,” Shiro replies. “Shay said there’s an urgent issue she has to deal with and can’t get us any results until tomorrow. The therapist is waiting for you two in the interrogation room.” He hands Lance a file.

Keith sighs and sets his notepad down. “Alright. There are my notes from the witness. Come on, Lance.” He guides Lance to the door while he reads what Shiro handed him.

They walk out of the conference room and head over to the interrogation room, but before they walk inside, Lance stops them. “Um, this is an odd request, but do you mind if I take this one solo? I think I’ll be able to get some more out of him. You’re intimidating, and this guy doesn’t do well with that.”

“I don’t know if that was an insult or a compliment but alright. You know more about the shrinky stuff than I do anyway,” Keith replies.

Lance nods. “Thanks.” He walks in, greeting the therapist while Keith walks into the observing room.

Keith presses a couple buttons on the dashboard in front of him so he can hear what’s going on. “Doctor Victors is it?” Lance asks, taking a seat across the therapist.

“Yes, but call me Charles. My patients only call me Doctor Victors,” Charles replies. “Am I here about Maiya? I’ve been working on her social skills, but she’s not violent so whoever filed a complaint can—”

“Sir, you do realize this is about her recent disappearance, right?” Lance wonders. “A witness says she was taken when she was heading home from the grocery store.”

“What?! That-that can’t be!” Charles exclaims.

“Do you realize you misdiagnosed her as well? She has clear signs of agoraphobia as well as severe OCD,” Lance says.

“How the hell would you know that?” Charles challenges. “You look like a kid.”

Keith snickers to himself from behind the glass, exchanging a knowing expression with the computer analyst in the room. He looks back at the room as Lance leans back and crosses his arms.

“On the contrary, Charles, I managed to finish my undergraduate in three years from Stanford University, received my master’s in two years from the University of Southern California while being actively deployed as a sniper, and finally my doctorate in another two years from the University of Michigan,” Lance shares. “And if you still think that’s impossible, I graduated two years early from high school. Not to mention I’m here acting as the psychologist to the best damn agent the major crimes unit has ever seen.”

Charles falls silent, shrinking down his seat. “R-right. Well—”

“Why did you misdiagnose her?” Lance interrupts.

“I didn’t think I did!” Charles exclaims. “Please, I have no idea what happened to her.”

Lance narrows his eyes at Charles then stands up. “I should have your license revoked. We’re done here.” He walks out of the room, slamming it behind him.

Keith hurries out of the observation room, jogging to catch up with Lance. “Thank goodness I wasn’t in there. I probably would’ve socked that guy in the face.”

Lance chuckles. “You’re right. Why do you think I wanted to go solo?”

“I thought you were just getting sick of me,” Keith replies, opening the conference room door where Ezor and Shiro are still discussing things and writing on the whiteboard.

“Sick of you? Never! I’m offended you would even think that!” Lance exclaims. “We’re partners for _life_ , Ruby Red.”

“You two are disgusting,” Ezor says without turning to look at them. “I think you’re worse with Keith than with Nyma.”

Keith chuckles. “Cry me a river, Ezor.”

Shiro clears his throat and turns to them. “Are we done? I’d like to get back to the case. The forensics team just dropped this off. It’s what caused the blood splatter on the door.”

He slides Keith an evidence bag across the table. Keith lifts it up and sees a knife inside with dry blood on it. “Steak knife? Odd choice, but understandable. The blade is relatively big and—”

Suddenly, Hunk and Pidge burst into the room, interrupting Keith. “BIG NEWS!” Hunk exclaims. “We just cracked this entire case wide opened! Come on!” He motions for everyone to follow him back to his desk in his office. Once there, he logs on and pulls up camera feed from the grocery store Maiya was last seen at. They watch as Maiya walks out the front door, looking around to see if anyone is following her before hurrying across the parking lot. A few seconds later a man briskly walks out, pursuing her.

Keith’s eyes widen and his jaw drops down. “I-I know who that man is.”

Pidge turns. “What? How?!”

“That’s the guy Lance and I talked to who claimed to see Maiya come back in the neighborhood,” Keith answers, turning to Shiro. “That’s him.”

Shiro nods and gestures for them to leave. “Bring him in for questioning. I’ll call local PD to meet you there.” He pulls out his phone and begins making a call.

Keith grabs Lance and drags him out of the office area and into the elevator. “I’m going to enjoy taking this guy down.”

“I thought you liked it when suspects put up a fight?” Lance wonders as they exit the elevator and make their way to the parking garage.

“Well, the doctors said I won’t be back to my full mobile strength for another week, but that I was fit enough to return to work,” Keith explains as he backs out and begins driving to Ronald’s house again. “Why do you ask?”

Lance pulls out a notebook and opens it up to a portion in it. “This notebook contains everything I’ve learned about you since our first meeting and session,” he shares. “You like fighting for what you believe in; in fact, you thrive on it. When someone challenges you on anything, you don’t pull back punches—especially when they challenge you on your beliefs or things you care about. I present several examples here, but I’ll only give you two. The first one is Pidge. You bring her in the interrogation room with you because she gives you purpose and something to fight for. If the suspect doesn’t confess, you feel as though you let her down and put her life in danger.” He flips to the next page. “My next example is when we arrested the Snake over a year ago during our first case together. My life was in danger and you felt the need to protect and save me—which you did. You—”

“I-I get the point,” Keith interrupts as he pulls down Ronald’s street. “Have you started that book on me?”

“I mean when Pidge first mentioned it, I started making an outline, but I didn’t know if you were cool with it. Would you be?” Lance asks.

Keith nods as he parks across the street from Ronald’s house. “Yeah, why not? I’d like to see you figure me out. Plus I’d only trust my partner writing my life story. Oh, and remind me during our next session to share some things about my past with you. While Trugg and that other Russian dude I don’t know the name of pumped me with hallucinogens, I had visions of my childhood with my mom. It might give you a deeper insight into my past and give you a nice beginning to your book.”

Lance gets out of the car with Keith and they make their way over to Ronald’s house. “Thank you, Keith. This means a lot.”

Keith smiles and nods at him before moving his hand to knock on the door, but he pulls his hand away when he hears something fall on the ground and shatter inside the house. He pulls out his gun and looks back at Lance. “Cover my six.”

Lance nods and pulls out his gun too. Keith turns back around and opens the door, walking through the house, searching for Ronald. He glances outside and sees him in his backyard, staring into his neighbor’s house. Keith quietly opens the back sliding door and approaches Ronald. “Ronald Doe, step away from the fence.”

He turns around and his eyes widen when he sees Keith and Lance with their guns pointed at him. “What is the meaning of this?”

“You’re under arrest for the stalking and kidnapping of Maiya Rose,” Keith says as he puts away his gun to pull out handcuffs. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.”

“What! This is a mistake! I didn’t take her!” Ronald pleads as Keith shoves him towards the house and to the car.

“Tell that to the judge,” Keith snarls as he puts him in the back of the police car in front of the house. Once it begins driving away, he turns to Lance. “I think you’re right.”

Lance quirks an eyebrow. “About?”

“Me liking suspects putting up a fight,” Keith replies. “I miss the adrenaline rush.”

Lance chuckles and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I know you do, dingus.” He elbows Keith playfully then hops in the car. Keith goes around the other side and gets into the driver’s side and begins driving back to the station.

Once they get back, another agent tells Keith that Ronald is ready in the interrogation room. Keith nods and turns to Lance. “Will you be joining me?”

Lance nods. “Yeah, this guy works differently than most people. He’s hard to read, and your method of demanding everything might not work on this guy.”

Keith shrugs in response and approaches the door, but stops when he notices Lance not following him. He turns and sees him talking to Pidge on her way over to the room behind the one-way glass. He seems to be explaining something to her, using hand motions before eventually pointing at the door to the interrogation room. She nods and turns the other way to go where the desks are instead of going into the room next to the interrogation room. Keith tilts his head in confusion at Lance. “What did you ask Pidge to do?”

“If we can’t get him to talk, she’s gonna bring the knife in,” Lance explains. “That’ll get a reaction out of him.”

Keith nods thoughtfully. “Yeah…that would. Good idea, Lance.” He lets Lance into the interrogation room first, glaring at Ronald when he looks up at them. Lance quietly takes a seat while Keith slams the door shut before fixing his tie and looking in the mirror. “Why’d you lie to us, Ronald?”

“I-I didn’t! I told you what I saw from my house!” Ronald exclaims.

Keith sighs and turns back around. “Cut the bullshit. You can’t keep up this lie much longer.” He briskly walks up to the table and slams his fists on it, startling Ronald, but leaving Lance unfazed. “Tell me what I want to know, Ronald. If you cooperate, I’ll put a good word in with the prosecutor and judge.”

“Agent Kogane, you have to believe me! I wouldn’t hurt Maiya! She was my friend!” Ronald rubs his face. “I would never hurt her.” He glares at Keith. “I WOULD NEVER HURT HER!”

Keith points at him angrily. “THAT’S A LIE!”

“NO, IT’S NOT!” Ronald yells back.

Lance raises his hand at Keith before turning to Ronald. “Listen, no one blames you for what you did. Maiya, she was a pretty woman who was nice to you…nicer than anyone in the neighborhood has ever been. You tried asking her out, but she rejected you and it hurt. You didn’t understand why because you thought she was interested, but she never was. When she didn’t want you, you realized that, if you couldn’t have her, no one could. You kidnapped her, Ronald. You followed her home from the grocery store that night. You broke into her house and fought with her.”

Ronald shakes his head. “No, I did not take her! I gave up on her! I kept my distance because that’s what she wanted! If I did it, why would I give a description of myself to you?” He scoffs when Lance raises an eyebrow at him. “Don’t pull that. I could tell when you first saw me, you two were on edge. You even mentioned the Grinning Man! People say I look just like him, but I’m not. I have a medical condition that makes me look like this.”

Keith hears a knock at the door and he goes to open it. Pidge hands him the bag with the knife in it before walking away. He turns back around and slams the knife down on the table. “You used this to get Maiya to go smoothly with you wherever you took her! Grinning Man or not, here’s the evidence! It matches the knives in your house.”

Ronald furrows his eyebrows and avoids looking at the knife. “How the hell do _you_ know that?”

“Let’s just say I know a lot about knives,” Keith replies. “Look at it, Ronald. You did it—just admit it.” He shoves the knife in his face.

Ronald closes his eyes and shakes his head no. “I-I couldn’t have! I can’t stand the sight of—” He opens his eyes and his face pales even more. “Oh no…”

Lance winces and looks away as Ronald proceeds to vomit all over the floor. Keith sighs angrily and stands back up, signaling to the people behind the one-way glass that they’re finished in here. Lance quickly stands up and walks out of the room, followed by Keith. Shiro exits the room next to the one way glass and gives them a sympathetic expression. “I really thought it was him.”

Keith glances at his watch and rolls his eyes. “It’s almost five. We’ll pick this up tomorrow when the DNA results of the blood come in.”

Shiro nods. “Yes, a good night’s sleep will clear our minds and allow us to get a better grip on what’s going on. Good work today.” He pats Lance and Keith on their shoulders before walking back to his office. Another agent comes and retrieves the knife from Keith and brings it back to the evidence room.

Keith turns to Lance. “Heading home now?” he asks as they walk through the glass doors and down to where Keith’s desk is.

“Actually, I have to finish up a few things in my office. I have to submit some psych evals I did for other agents while you were in rehab,” Lance answers. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Keith. Have a good night.” He smiles kindly at Keith before heading up to his office.

Keith chuckles. “Have fun with that!” he shouts after Lance then head to his desk to pack up his things and to grab his bike helmet. He stops by Hunk’s office and waves goodbye then heads to Pidge’s and says goodbye to her before heading down to the parking garage. He unlocks his bike and puts the helmet on before starting the bike. It roars to life and he takes off out of the parking garage, heading home.

 

* * *

_Halloween, October 31_

* * *

 

Keith spins around in his chair just in time to see Allura walk in wearing her usual pencil skirt and blouse, not dressed up for Halloween. Pidge boos from next to Keith and crosses her arms. “Buzzkill! We  _all_ agreed to dress up!” she exclaims. “Well, except Ezor since she’s not here today.”

Allura raises an eyebrow. “I had to be in the courthouse at seven this morning. It is now ten o’clock…forgive me if I forgot to wear a costume.”

Pidge rolls her eyes. “Excuses, excuses.”

Allura sighs. “Anyway, who are you supposed to be, Pidge?” She gestures to her lab coat, dark sunken eye makeup, and crazy hair.

“I’m Doctor Frankenstein! Hunk’s my monster, but I don’t know where he went. Lance has a killer costume though. He’s Robin Hood from _Once Upon A Time_. I—oh look! There he is!” Pidge exclaims, pointing to Lance as he steps out of his office.

Keith raises his eyebrows in surprise when Lance looks up and smiles at everyone. He’s not wearing his glasses, probably wearing contacts for the occasion. He has a quiver of arrows strapped across his back along with a very large bow. He’s wearing the typical billowy shirt Robin Hood wears from the show along with the black cape, leather gloves, and other accessories. He even has his hair spiked up slightly. Honestly, Keith thinks he looks pretty good like that…

_Cough_

“Lance, you look absolutely wonderful,” Allura compliments. “Now, Keith, what are you supposed to be? Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?”

Keith snickers and stands up. “You really wanna know?” He slowly takes off the sunglasses and opens his eyes to reveal yellow eye contacts. He opens his mouth and runs his tongue along his teeth, which now have sharper canines than normal. “You tell me.”

“It is a full moon tonight, very nice, Keith,” Allura replies.

“What are you talking—HOLY SHIT!” Lance exclaims, backing up slightly when Keith bares his fangs at him. “Keith, what—” He slowly makes his way over to Lance, growling in the process. “Keith! Stop it!” He panics and pulls out his bow and an arrow, aiming it at Keith. “This is a real bow and arrow, and I swear—”

Shiro clears his throat beside Lance. “And what do we have here? Robin Hood about to shoot the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood? Sounds about right.”

Hunk bursts into the room, holding a piece of paper in the air. “I GOT IT!”

Keith turns and snickers. Hunk’s entire face is covered with green face paint and he has two large metal screws sticking out on either side of his neck. Shiro facepalms and sighs. “What is it Hunk?”

“Shay just sent in the results of the knife, and wow there’s more to it,” he says, walking over to Shiro to hand him the paper. “The blood belongs to Maiya, but they also found a partial fingerprint on the handle.”

Shiro scans over the file then looks at Hunk again. “Has it been put through the system to see if we have a match?”

Hunk nods and holds out another paper. “Yep! It matches a man named Leonard Freeman.”

“I know that name,” Keith says, furrowing his eyebrows. He looks at Allura. “Why do I know that name?”

“Because we tried putting him away a few months ago for stalking and harassing women around Maiya’s age in his neighborhood, but there was not enough evidence for a conviction,” Allura replies. “I really did not like him.”

Keith nods. “Right! He’s been registered as a disturber of the peace. Didn’t his wife file a restraining order against him?”

“Actually, now it’s ex-wife. I’ve got his file pulled up.” Pidge scrolls down a bit. “The restraining order was filed because he would sit in their daughter’s room with a creepy mask on at night. Then she got the divorce and a second restraining order when she saw him outside several nights in a row with the same mask.”

Keith leans back in his chair and turns to Lance. They share a knowing expression. “Let me guess…a face with black, sunken eyes, wide grin, and a pale, malnourished face?”

“Also known as the Grinning Man? You betcha,” Pidge replies, shutting her laptop. “My question is why the hell would someone want to use that face as a mask? Why not something classy like a clown?”

“Pidge, how is a clown mask classy?” Hunk wonders.

“More people are scared of clowns,” Pidge answers nonchalantly. “Take Pennywise for example—”

“Nope! We’re not discussing that!” Hunk interrupts.

“Hunk, he’s a real being. Just ask Keith,” Pidge says. “He saw him once.”

Keith nods. “Pidge is right. I barely escaped with my life.”

Hunk yells and covers his ears. Lance rolls his eyes and walks down to where Pidge is. “Pull up the video feeds again. There’s gotta be something else we missed.”

“Hunk and I looked at every second of that stuff!” Pidge exclaims. “You aren’t going to find anything.” He gives her a small glare and she sighs. “Fine.” She hops off Keith’s desk and plops down on Keith’s lap on his chair.

“What the—hey! You could have asked me to move!” Keith protests.

“Shush,” Pidge orders as she logs onto Keith’s computer to open up the camera feeds. Lance walks around and watches the screen as Pidge presses play. They see Maiya walking briskly down the street with her bag of groceries, as what Ronald told them. Lance reaches for the mouse and pauses the video as Maiya looks behind her. He points to the bottom left corner of the screen and they see the familiar dead looking scowling man from the neighborhood with the mask removed.

“Oh my god, that’s Leonard Freeman! I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him!” Keith exclaims. He turns to Lance. “We need a warrant to get into—”

Allura hands him a folded up paper. “I got the warrant when Shay called me about the evidence. She knew you’d want to do it quickly, but also knew Hunk wanted to be the one to tell everyone.”

Keith takes the paper from her and slips it into his pocket. “Thanks, Allura. Lance, let’s go.”

“Wait we’re still in our—” Lance starts, but stops when Keith lifts Pidge off and grabs his arm, dragging him to the elevator and down to the parking garage. “Keith! Wait a minute!” Lance grabs his arm to stop him once they get to the car. “Do you see how ridiculous we look?”

“We don’t have time to change!” Keith exclaims. “Just get in the car!” He goes in the driver’s side and starts the car. Lance takes off his quiver of arrows and gets in on the passenger’s side.

“I don’t have my gun, Keith,” Lance says with a sigh as Keith drives out of the parking garage.

“Didn’t you tell me that bow was real?” Keith asks. “Besides, I thought you said you were a good shot?”

Lance glares at him. “Don’t go there. Do you even have your badge?”

“You’re more than welcome to feel in my back pocket for it,” Keith replies casually as he speeds down the road, siren blaring. He slams on the horn when someone doesn’t move out of his way, forcing him to zig-zag into oncoming traffic. “Idiot!” He bares his fangs when he passes the car then looks back forward.

Lance clutches the armrest and the handle on the roof of the car. He has his eyes shut tightly and seems to be whispering something under his breath. Keith vaguely recognizes it as something he heard during Hunk’s niece’s funeral, but he isn’t too sure.

“Lance? You okay?” Keith asks, taking a sharp right turn down the road.

“I-I’m f-fine,” he stammers.

“You’re clearly not. You’ve never had an issue with my driving before,” Keith states.

“Yeah, well, that was before I was buried alive in one of these deathtraps underground!” Lance suddenly snaps. He opens his eyes and looks at Keith in horror. “I mean—fuck! You weren’t supposed to hear that…” He rubs his forehead in frustration.

Keith shuts the siren off and pulls in front of Leonard’s house. He turns and gives Lance a stern expression. “After we save Maiya and make this arrest, we’re having a long discussion about this.”

“Keith, that’s not necessary—” Lance starts.

“No! This is non-negotiable!” Keith gets out of the car and slams the door shut as Lance exits the passenger side, putting his quiver back on and getting an arrow ready on his bow.

Keith pulls out his Glock 17 and walks up to the door with Lance. He leans against the doorframe then nods before kicking open the door. Lance steps in first, bow aimed, but Keith sees him lower it when he starts looking around. Keith follows in after him and furrows his eyebrows in surprise/disgust when they see the entire living room covered head to toe in pictures of Maiya, many dating back several years. “What the fuck…” Keith whispers to himself.

As they walk around the house, they see pictures of several other women that were in his case file that had gotten restraining orders on him. Some of the pictures are the women changing in their windows. Keith shakes his head in disgust and continues through the house, but comes to a halt when he hears a loud thud from upstairs. Keith leads Lance upstairs and they find a hallway with three doors: one on the left, one on the right, and one straight back at the end of the hall.

Keith gestures to the left one first, and he attempts to open it, but the knob is jammed. He grunts then body slams it with his shoulder, forcing it open. He quickly aims his gun but lowers it when it’s empty except for more pictures of Maiya scattered on the floor. Lance steps aside so Keith can get to the door on the right, having to body slam against it as well. Something crashes onto the floor inside, and Keith’s jaw drops when he sees the room is filled with photographs of the Grinning Man on the walls. He follows red string on the walls to the center of the room where the Night Sky Bridge is circled in red ink.

“Holy fuck,” Lance comments breathlessly. “This guy is a delusional schizophrenic. He clearly thinks he _is_ the Grinning Man.”

Before Keith can reply, they hear another thud come from the last room at the end of the hall. Keith walks up to it first and kicks it open to find Maiya with blood all over her tied up in the corner of the room. They step inside and see one dangling, dimmed, flickering light hangs from the ceiling in the middle. Her mouth is duct taped shut and she frantically mumbled/yells towards the door. Keith notices this and turns around, making sure Lance is within arms reach but makes the mistake of lowering his gun.

Leonard stands in the doorway with the Grinning Man mask on and a steak knife in his hands. “NOW YOU WILL BE FOLLOWED!” he screams, lunging at Keith, tackling him to the ground. Keith’s gun bounces out of his hand and he tries to fight Leonard off. He tries stabbing Keith with the knife, but Keith manages to grab the hand with the knife and keep it away from his neck.

As Keith starts to overpower him, he feels Leonard press down on his side where Trugg had stabbed him multiple times. He yelps in pain and Leonard begins moving the knife back to Keith’s neck, but Lance swings his bow, knocking Leonard in the forehead, sending him off Keith. Lance loads another arrow and aims it at Leonard when he makes an effort to get up.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Lance warns. “I don’t miss.”

Keith sputters and sits up with much difficulty and limps over to flip Leonard onto his stomach, handcuffing him. “Leonard Freeman, you are under arrest for the stalking and kidnapping of Maiya Rose.” He hoists him to his feet and shoves him towards the door while Lance goes to untie and rescue Maiya. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.”

He heads outside with Leonard and another agent takes him from Keith and loads him into the car. “THIS ISN’T THE LAST OF ME!” Leonard bellows.

“Oh, but I think it is, see you in court, douchebag,” Keith snarls, slamming the door.

He turns around and sees Lance helping Maiya over to the ambulance. Once she’s loaded onto it, he walks over to Keith, smiling. “Maybe I don’t need a gun,” Lance comments, handing Keith his gun.

“Perhaps not,” Keith replies, putting it back in its holster. “Thank you for saving me. He found the wound where Trugg stabbed me several times and—”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s what partners are for, right?” Lance wonders with a smile.

“Yeah,” Keith says. “Now, back to our conversation in the car. Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?”

“Because _I’m_ supposed to be the one treating your PTSD,” Lance explains. “If I’m compromised then I can’t do my job which is to help you. I’m working through it, but it’s hard. My dreams are plagued with Pidge and me still in that car underground, and I’m scratching and scratching at the walls, but I can’t escape.”

Keith looks at the ground. “I have nightmares too.”

“What?”

“I dream I find my mother’s dead corpse, I dream I’m in a glass box, forced to watch as each one of you guys are shot execution style and I can’t do anything to stop it, I dream that that game store bomb really did go off and I survived somehow, but you didn’t,” Keith shares.

“Keith! Why haven’t you told me this?!” Lance demands.

“Because they’re nothing new. Yeah, they scare me half to death, but I calm myself down with the knowledge that none of it’s true. I know that I’m going to come into work the next morning and see all of you here.” Keith places a hand on Lance’s arm. “You’re not alone, Lance. You don’t have to be dealing with those alone. I’m here for you.”

Lance looks down at the ground. “I sleep with Nyma whenever I have these night terrors. Having her next to me and hearing her breathing keeps me going.”

Keith purses his lips and pulls his hand away. “Right. Of course you do.” He chuckles dryly. “I wonder what that’s like.”

“What what’s like?”

“Having someone. No one’s ever cared about me like that before.”

“Keith…”

“It’s okay, Lance. I’ve been alone my whole life,” Keith interrupts. “I have yet to find anything I can’t handle alone.”

Lance rolls his eyes. “Well, you don’t need to anymore because you’re stuck with me, and little ol’ me knows your birthday was a few days ago.”

“Oh boy.”

“I’ll be having none of that shit from you. Now I couldn’t give my gift to you on that day because you had your fitness test, but I did get you something. Actually, two somethings. One’s back at the office, and I just thought of the other like twenty seconds ago,” Lance says.

Keith laughs and shakes his head. “Okay, Sir Lancelot, I trust you. I’m looking forward to them.”

Lance puts an arm around Keith and smiles widely. “That’s what I like to hear, Ruby Red.”

Keith rolls his eyes and walks to the car with Lance, smiling at him as he continues talking about the party at Allura’s house later. Another case closed for the books—it should be a slam dunk for Allura.

 

* * *

 

Keith pulls up to Allura’s house on his motorcycle and parks it behind Shiro’s car before heading inside. Once he enters, he’s immediately greeted by a very drunk Ezor. “Keeeeeith! Wazzzzup!?” she wonders, words slurring together. Keith grabs her arm to steady her and gets a good look at her costume. She’s wearing a tight leather suit with boots and her hair is curled and left down. He spots the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on her shoulder and two guns on her waist.

“Are you dressed as Black Widow?” he wonders.

She smiles widely at him. “YEAH! How you know?!”

“I’m just good like that,” Keith replies with a smirk. “Perhaps you’ve had too much?”

“Weird! Thas _exactly_ what Shiro told me!” Ezor exclaims. “You look like a scary hairy werewolf.”

“Thank you,” Keith says, patting her back as she stumbles off back over to a few other people. He looks around the room and spots Pidge, Hunk, and Shay in the kitchen. He makes his way over and they immediately smile when they see him.

“Well well well, someone’s already transformed into a full werewolf,” pidge comments. She feels his fake sideburns. “I like how you didn’t have to do anything different to your hair.”

“Yeah, dude, it’s really long,” Hunk says, taking a sip from his cup.

“Says the guy with metal screws coming from his neck,” Keith retorts.

“Alright, boys, that’s enough,” Shay says firmly with a small smile. She crosses her arms over the green Princess Tiana dress. “Have a drink, let loose a little!”

“Sorry, I drove here so I have to stay sober,” Keith replies. “Where’s everyone else?”

As if on cue, Allura, Shiro, and Coran stroll into the kitchen, each holding drinks. Allura laughs loudly at something Coran says, nearly spilling her drink. She’s dressed head to toe in Wonder Woman’s outfit, complete with the red boots, golden armbands, and gold headband. Shiro’s dressed in all black with his metal prosthetic showing. A red star is painted on the shoulder. Clearly, he’s dressed as Bucky Barnes. Lastly, Coran is dressed in a lion costume.

“Okay, wait, Allura is Wonder Woman, Shiro’s Bucky Barnes, and Coran is…?” Keith raises an eyebrow.

“The cowardly lion from _The Wizard of Oz_!” Coran exclaims. “These drinks are excellent, but might I suggest a drink my buddies and I created during our college days? We call it nunvil—”

“Nope! Not doing that!” Shiro exclaims.

“Perhaps during the Christmas party?” Coran asks hopefully.

Keith rolls his eyes at them before grabbing one of the non-alcoholic drinks. He walks into the living room where other agents are dressed up. Some give him nods and thumbs up when they see Keith’s costume. He looks around the room for Lance, wondering if he’s arrived yet, but jumps when someone wraps their arms around Keith.

“KEITH! Yay!” Lance’s voice exclaims from behind him.

He turns around and raises his eyebrows at his clearly drunk partner. “How much have you had to drink?” Keith wonders, grabbing Lance’s arm so he doesn’t fall over.

“Ezor ‘n I did a shot contest! She won b’fore ‘iro cut us off,” Lance replies.

Keith nods. “Sounds about right. So are you here alone or—”

“Hello, Keith,” Nyma greets slowly from behind him. He turns around to get a good look at her and his eyes widen at her costume. She’s wearing one of Regina Mills’s signature Evil Queen dresses from _Once Upon A Time_. This one is purple and black and has a tall collar in the back. She has deep red lipstick on and a dark eyeshadow.

Honestly, she looks terrifying. “If I wasn’t currently tied down right now, you’d be _mine_.” She smirks at Keith, looking him up and down.

“Are you drunk too?” Keith wonders.

“Maaaybe!” Nyma exclaims before grabbing Lance’s collar and pulling him in for a rough kiss.

Keith winces slightly when their faces collide, but neither of them seems to care. He observes that Nyma kisses with lust, clearly having one thing on her mind while Lance kisses with passion and tenderness. He wants to go slow, to build up the moment whereas Nyma wants to jump in head first and get down to business. Keith wants to look away, but he can’t seem to keep his eyes off of Lance. His sharp jawline, the light freckles on his cheeks, his small, tanned, snubbed nose pressed against Nyma’s pale skin, his lips moving in sync with Nyma’s, smearing her lipstick all over.

_He wishes it were him._

Just like that, Nyma pulls away as if nothing happened. “I’m gonna go get ‘nother drink.” She brushes past Lance and heads to the kitchen.

Lance stands there in a slight daze before composing himself to look at Keith. He smiles widely at him. “Isn’t she the best!?” He doesn’t seem to care that his mouth and lips are stained with dark red lipstick.

Keith bites his tongue and nods. “The greatest.”

Monster Mash starts blaring throughout the room and everyone starts cheering before dancing. Lance’s face lights up and he grabs Keith’s arm. “Keeeith! Dance with me!”

Keith allows Lance to drag him over to the dancing and they dance together to the song. A few other iconic Halloween songs play, including Thriller, to which Hunk rocked the dance floor with the dance from the music video. Shay was way drunk and tried to make out with him in the middle of the circle, but Hunk managed to calm her down.

At the end of the party when guests are leaving, Keith finds that Nyma, Lance, Ezor, and Shay are all trashed so they have to be driven home. Hunk says he’ll take Shay while Shiro takes Ezor. Coran offers to take Nyma which leaves Lance with Keith. It was difficult at first to get Lance on the motorcycle since he can barely walk, but he manages to hold on the entire way to his house. Keith went without a helmet since he only had the one he wore. Luckily, Lance will be too drunk to remember, so he won’t get yelled at.

Keith arrives at Lance’s house and parks his bike in the driveway. Lance stumbles off the bike, nearly face-planting, but Keith catches him. He puts an arm around Lance’s waist while Lance puts one around Keith’s neck to use him for support. Keith takes Lance’s keys from him and attempts to open the door, but he struggles a bit because Lance’s hot breath on his neck really isn’t helping the situation.

Once the door finally opens, Keith sets all the keys and the helmet down on the counter then starts guiding Lance to the bedroom. “Whoa, Keith, buy me dinner first, you dog,” Lance teases.

“Lance, you’re drunk,” Keith replies as he opens the bedroom door.

Lance giggles. “Yeah, I am.”

Keith drops Lance onto the bed then begins opening dresser drawers to find some night clothes Lance can wear. “What do you usually wear to bed?” Right as the question leaves his mouth, he regrets it. Technically, Keith already knows what Lance wears to bed since they shared a hotel room when they solved the murder case in Michigan. Oh well…it’s too late now.

“M‘derwear,” Lance mumbles into the mattress.

“What?”

“UNDERWEAR!” Lance yells, holding his head up before dropping it back down.

Keith slams the drawer shut, annoyed. “Coulda told me that before I went snooping.” _No, Keith, you went snooping all on your own free will. Don’t try to pin it on him._

Lance flips over onto his back and smirks at Keith. “I got nothin’ to hide.”

“Okay, so are you going to be able to get out of that by yourself?” Keith wonders, ignoring Lance’s remark.

Lance looks at him with a dumb expression, jaw slackened. Keith sighs and looks at the floor. “This is the night I die then.”

He walks over to Lance and helps him undress. They work together to take the vest off and to unbutton Lance’s shirt. Keith’s cheeks flush when their hands brush over each other’s as they undo the final buttons. Lance’s breath brushes against Keith’s lips. “Nyma’s never this careful…”

Keith bites his lip and doesn’t respond to that as he helps Lance slip the shirt off, exposing his bare upper body. “Can you do your pants by yourself?”

Lance fumbles with the belt buckle but manages to unhook it and unzip his pants. Since he can’t stand up straight, Keith has to hold him up from behind while Lance pulls his pants down. At one point, Lance’s butt bumps Keith’s crotch, and at that moment, Keith’s soul ascended to the astral plane.

Finally, Lance is out of his clothes and left in his boxers. Keith pulls back the sheets on the bed and helps Lance under them. “Okay, don’t go anywhere. I’m going to get you a glass of water and put some painkillers by your bed because you’re going to have a killer headache in the morning.”

He walks back into the kitchen area and fills up a glass of water then opens a few drawers until he finds some Advil. He takes two and brings them back to Lance’s room, setting them on his nightstand. “Anything else?” Keith wonders.

“No…” Lance trails off.

“Well, then I’ll see you tomorrow.” Keith turns to head out, but Lance grabs his arm and stops him.

“Wait…I, uh…Nyma isn’t here and—”

“I am _not_ sleeping with you.”

“No! Just…will you stay the night? You can use the guest room.”

Keith sighs. “Fine, but I’m taking a shirt to sleep in then.” He opens up a drawer and pulls out one of Lance’s grey shirts. “If you need me, holler I guess.”

“G’night, Keith,” Lance whispers, shutting his eyes to fall asleep.

“Night, Lance,” Keith replies, heading to the door. Before he walks out, he takes one last look at him, smiling at his calm expression as he begins to drift into sleep. Keith can picture himself having that face as the last thing he looks at then waking up to that face each morning.

He shakes the thoughts out of his head and shuts the door. Keith shuts his eyes and leans against the door before pulling his phone out. He pulls up the conversation between him and Pidge and begins typing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEHE YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THAT ENDING! Now that Keith _knows_ he's in love with Lance, this can only mean trouble. Who knows what will happen in the future! Here are 3 little sneak peeks at what is planned for the next chapter:
> 
> 1\. Two previously mentioned characters make their big debut, and one unmentioned character makes their big debut.  
> 2\. You get more information on what happened to Keith's mother.  
> 3\. Perhaps some old flames are reignited *wink wink*
> 
> It should be posted by the time December rolls in!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! Please be kind in the comment section. The artist and I work very hard on this.  
> Author's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)  
> Artist's Tumblr: [burtburt0614](http://burtburt0614.tumblr.com/)
> 
> If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an ask on Tumblr or if you've drawn any fanart, please tag me in it! I love seeing it!


	8. The Prodigal Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a dead body ends up on the steps to the White House, all pressure is on Keith and his team to solve the case. The victim is linked to Shiro and the missing people Lotor Isola, Matthew Holt, and Krolia Kogane. Director Alfor wants this solved in a timely manner and makes a few temporary changes. He brings back someone from Shiro's past and elects Keith as the temporary team leader.
> 
> Will they be able to solve it, or will things just get more complicated?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooooo! Finally! It's been so long since I updated (well, more like a month but it felt like a lifetime). The artist will be back in the next chapter.
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

_ December 21 _

* * *

 

Keith crosses his arms and looks around at everyone while a broken coffee maker sits in front of them. “So…who broke it? I’m not mad, I just wanna know.”

When no one says anything, Hunk sighs and raises his hand. “I did. I broke it.”

“No, you didn’t,” Keith says. He looks at Ezor. “Ezor?”

Ezor scoffs. “Don’t look at me! Look at Nyma.”

“What?!” Nyma questions loudly. “I didn’t break it!” She glares at Ezor.

“Huh, that’s weird! How’d you even know it was broken?” Ezor wonders, glaring back at her.

“Because it’s sitting right in front of us and it’s broken!” Nyma exclaims.

Ezor rubs her chin, eyes narrowing at Nyma. “Suspicious…”

“No, it’s not!” Nyma protests. “But if it matters, probably not, but Pidge was the last one to use it.”

Pidge stands up, fuming. “Liar! I don’t even drink that crap!”

“Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee maker earlier?” Nyma wonders with a raised eyebrow.

“I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, Nyma!” Pidge exclaims.

“Okay! Let’s not fight!” Hunk reasons. “I broke it. Let me pay for it, Keith.”

“No! Who broke it?!” Keith demands.

“Keith…Allura’s been awfully quiet,” Ezor comments with a small shrug.

Allura gasps and crosses her arms. “Oh, REALLY?!”

Everyone begins arguing as Keith steps away when Lance walks into the office. Lance furrows his eyebrows and tilts his head in confusion. “What are they doing?” he asks. “Why are they arguing about who broke the coffee maker?”

Keith pulls Lance aside and snickers. “I broke it. I burned my hand, so I punched it.”

Lance sighs and rubs his forehead. “Keith. What was the point of setting them against each other?”

“I predict that in about ten minutes from now, they’ll be at each other’s throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick,” Keith shares.

They look back when they hear Pidge shriek something and see Hunk stumble to the side. Lance looks back at Keith. “Did you do this because Shiro’s out at meetings with his bosses?”

Keith smiles. “That and it was getting a little chummy around here.”

“Well, the holiday season usually does that to people,” Lance replies, leading Keith to his office. “I’m having difficulties getting your Christmas gift. I want to top the motorcycle helmet I got you for your birthday.”

“You don’t need to get me anything, Lance. The helmet was enough,” Keith states, plopping down on the couch in his office. “It’s way better than my old one.”

“Yeah, I know.” Lance sets his stuff down on his desk. “I did tons of research on them to find one that wouldn’t break in half as your old one did.”

“Are you flying to Cuba to visit your family or are they flying here?” Keith asks.

“They’re coming here,” Lance shares. “I wanted to bring Nyma to introduce her to my mama, but she has to fly back home to Minnesota to be with her family. Her brother is sick.”

Keith nods. “I see, well, I’ll be at home doing nothing with no one, as I always do.”

Lance huffs in protest. “I’m going to change that. Mark my words, Keith Kogane! You will not spend Christmas alone this year!”

“Alright, whatever you say, Sir Lancelot,” Keith taunts, smirking at Lance’s irritated expression. He opens his mouth to say something else, but the door opens behind him.

“Keith, Lance, we’ve got a case,” Shiro states.

Keith stands up. “What are we dealing with?”

Shiro hands him a slip of paper. “You’ll find what you need at that address.”

Keith unfolds the paper and sees it says  _ 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500 _ . He looks up at Shiro with an unamused expression. “Is this a joke?”

“I wish it was. The body was displayed on the steps of the White House,” Shiro explains. “Shay and Coran are waiting for you there.”

Keith nods and leaves with Lance. They hop in one of the SUVs and drive to the White House where there are many police cars and caution tape, keeping the accumulated crowd back. When Lance and Keith get out of the car, a few reporters walk up to them, shoving microphones in their faces and asking them questions about who is on the steps and if they have any leads. Keith replies with his usual  _ no comment _ response while Lance takes the time to divert the attention off of Keith.

Once away from the reporters, Keith flashes his badge to one of the officers on crowd control, and she lets him past the caution tape. Keith glances up at the tall, wide building, suddenly feeling very small. The large pillars tower down on him, casting large shadows on the snow white stairs. He looks around when a few forensics members walk past him carrying tools to bring to Shay and Coran who are at the middle of the staircase, addressing the corpse on the ground. Keith walks up the stairs to them and pulls out his pen and notepad.

“I’m guessing this isn’t how you two wanted to spend your Friday morning?” Keith comments.

Shay sighs. “Murder waits for nobody. I was decorating my house when I got the call.”

“I was on my way to New York to give a speech at Cornell when I received the call,” Coran shares. “But this is a very interesting case, so I’m not too upset!”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Keith replies.

“It’s alright, Keith. As long as we can help you bring justice to a killer, I’d put my personal life on hold,” Shay says. “Anyway, our victim is a female in her mid to late forties.”

Keith nods, writing the information down then does a once over across the corpse. She’s dressed nicely in something Allura would wear when she has to be in court. The victim’s dark brown hair is even nicely kept. She has a sharp jawline and a stern expression. Something about this woman is familiar to Keith, but he can’t remember what. If this woman dresses like this and keeps herself kept well, why was she discarded like trash on these stairs? Keith furrows his eyebrows when he spots ink on the woman’s forehead. “What’s that written on her forehead?”

Shay moves the victim so she’s laying on her back. Keith sees a single gunshot wound to the chest where the heart is and sees the word  _ snitch _ written in red. “I have no idea what it means,” she says.

“Lance can take care of that,” Keith replies, writing the information down. “I’m guessing that gunshot killed her?”

“You are correct, my boy!” Coran exclaims. “However, I don’t think there is a way we can ID this woman.”

“Why do you say that?” Keith wonders.

Coran shows him the victim’s fingers, and Keith winces when he sees that the tip of each finger is missing. “Each distal phalanx was sawed off, so we cannot ID this woman through her fingerprint.”

Keith writes the information down. “What about dental?”

Shay raises an eyebrow and forces the victim’s mouth open to reveal that all the teeth were missing. “They were pulled out.”

Chills shiver down Keith’s spine. “W-was she alive when this all happened?”

Shay and Coran exchange a solemn expression with each other before nodding at Keith. “I’m afraid she was. All of these occurred perimortem. Whoever did this wanted to cause as much pain as possible.”

“But why was she killed with a gunshot wound to the chest? Wouldn’t the killer want her to bleed out or something?” Keith asks.

“I think I can answer that,” Lance says, walking up behind Keith. “This is a very unique form of torture that I’ve never seen before. I don’t think the intent of the killer was to erase her identity. I think he just wanted to cause as much pain as possible.”

Keith crosses his arms. “Explain the method of killing then.”

“Since she was in so much pain, she was probably begging to be killed. He could have taunted her with the gun by pressing it on her chest, demanding she beg for him to do it,” Lance explains. “Eventually he did pull the trigger.” He furrows his eyebrows. “This woman seems very familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Keith puts his notebook away. “Tell the forensics members who saw this that this cannot leak to the media. If I see on the headlines something about a finger sawing maniac, I’m firing everyone.”

“I don’t think you have the jurisdiction to do that,” Lance comments.

“Oh, he’ll find a way,” Shay replies as she finishes bagging some evidence. “I’ve sent pictures of the victim’s face to Pidge. Perhaps she can get something from that.”

Keith turns to walk away but looks back when he sees something black on the victim’s skin by her neckline. “Wait. What’s that?” He points to the victim’s neck. “Right there—under her collar.”

Coran walks over and folds down the collar so Keith can get a better look at it. Keith’s eyes widen when he recognizes the tattoo as a large black widow spider. “Oh my god. I-I know this woman.”

Shay and Lance both raise their eyebrows. “You  _ do _ ?” Shay wonders. “How?!”

“My mom had this woman over for lunch a few times before she went missing,” Keith shares. “Her name is Narti Ames.”

Lance grabs Keith’s arm and forces him to look at him. “Okay! Before we jump to conclusions, let’s logically think this through. Are you sure this is Narti Ames? How can you be so sure?”

“I just am, Lance. Besides, I recognize the tattoo style,” Keith states. “The Snake put this on this woman. It’s no coincidence that we just arrested Trugg, the Snake’s sister, and now Narti turns up dead.”

Lance rubs his forehead. “Pidge should run facial recognition to confirm her identification. Shay, send the pictures of the victim’s face to Pidge so she can run them through the U.S. Attorney’s office’s database.”

“Already on it. You might want to get back and tell Shiro about this. He’ll need to tell his bosses,” Shay says. “Coran and I will finish up here.”

Keith and Lance thank Shay and Coran then head back to the station and find Shiro, Ezor, Hunk, Nyma, Allura, and Pidge in the meeting room, watching something on the projector. They walk inside, and Keith goes to ask Shiro if he could speak with him, but Pidge gets a positive match on Narti’s identification. “I was right,” Keith states breathlessly.

Shiro turns and looks at him. “Wait, you know this woman?”

“My mom had her over for lunch a few times before she went missing. The only thing I really remember about her was that she rarely talked,” Keith replies.

“Pidge, run Narti’s name through our database to see if she worked on any cases with the FBI,” Shiro instructs.

Pidge nods and does as she’s told. Keith watches as keywords begin to appear on the screen. Some of which have to do with scandals and other various things the U.S. Attorney’s office was accused of. Suddenly, Shiro’s team’s names pop up, Matt’s and Lotor’s coming up more frequently.

“Oh my god. M-my team investigated this woman before!” Shiro exclaims.

“Was this around the time things went to shit?” Pidge wonders as she begins typing some more, going off of Matt’s and Lotor’s names since they came up more frequently than Shiro’s.

Shiro shakes his head. “It was before then. We dropped the case when the evidence and leads went dry.”

“Uh, well, not according to these file reports I found in Matt’s secure server,” Pidge shares. “It looks like he and Lotor continued investigating Narti after the case was dropped. They also started poking around some bad Russian people like somebody named Ranveig.” Instead of Shiro’s name being listed as the lead investigator, Lotor’s name is there.

“I-I can’t believe they went behind my back. Get their notes on this, now,” Shiro instructs, irritated.

“I can get Matt’s, but Lotor’s is locked up tight,” Pidge says.

“Allura and I can go mooch around to get access to Lotor’ old stuff,” Nyma offers. Keith watches her nudge Allura with a big smirk on her face while Allura blushes and shoves her away.

“Specify on his digging into the U.S. Attorney’s office  _ after _ Shiro’s team dropped the original investigation,” Pidge specifies.

Nyma smiles at Pidge. “Alright, thank you.”

She and Allura walk out, and Lance smiles widely at Pidge. She furrows her eyebrows in confusion. “Why are you smiling at me?”

“You helped Nyma out. You’re warming up to her,” Lance states.

Pidge rolls her eyes. “I did it for my brother. If it helps find him, then it’s all worth it.”

“Can we back up a second?” Ezor asks stepping forward. “Why would Matt and Lotor be looking into Russian Intelligence and the U.S. Attorney’s office? What do they have in common?”

“My mother,” Keith answers. “She worked there, and it’s what Pidge sent to me before I was kidnapped.”

“Got them!” Nyma exclaims as she and Allura walk back in, carrying a few files.

“That was fast,” Lance comments.

Nyma winks at him then hands the files to Pidge. “There’s a password I wrote on there too to get Lotor’s online stuff.”

“Judging by these notes, I think Lotor asked Matt for help which probably led to what happened with Shiro and Matt,” Allura shares.

“That doesn’t add up,” Lance disagrees.

“Lance’s right. My team dropped the case that investigated the U.S. Attorney’s office,” Shiro states.

“But this stuff doesn’t mirror what your notes say. Lotor and Matt had way more than what the original investigation had. Plus, the FBI doesn’t even have jurisdiction to deal with these Russian people,” Pidge shares.

“Then, with that logic, neither did my mother,” Keith adds.

“What are you getting at?” Ezor wonders.

“Maybe it was a cover!” Pidge exclaims. “I mean it makes sense why her name would be involved with the Russian names. Could Krolia be CIA and being in the U.S. Attorney’s office as a cover? Maybe Lotor and Matt discovered this and that’s what got them kidnapped! Or what if Krolia asked for their help?!”

“This is unraveling faster than an old, rotten cardigan,” Hunk comments, rubbing his forehead.

Pidge scrunches her nose in disgust. “Hunk, ew.”

“Pidge, run Narti’s name through Matt’s and Lotor’s notes,” Keith instructs.

She nods, pulling up her brother’s and Lotor’s old notes, running Narti’s name through them. Pidge finds more hits than they did when they ran Ladnok’s and Ranveig’s names. “Holy fuck! There was a conspiracy within the U.S. Attorney’s office! Matt had to have been helping Lotor.”

“Language and don’t jump to conclusions,” Shiro scolds.

Keith looks at Pidge. “Maybe this is what happened to my mom.”

“Shiro, this is a reasonable conclusion,” Lance says. “You can tell by looking at their notes. Lotor’s came first then we have Matt’s.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell me? Wait…maybe he did?” Shiro winces and rubs his forehead. “Every time I think about my time in captivity…I get this horrible headache.”

Keith places a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Maybe someone else should take the lead on this one.”

“Yes, you are quite right, Agent Kogane,” a deep voice says from behind them.

Keith turns and straightens up when Alfor, the FBI director,  walks into the room. Everyone falls silent, waiting to hear what he has to say.

“I want this case solved in a timely and efficient manner. The president is not happy with this,” Alfor states.

Pidge scoffs. “What  _ isn’t _ Trump happy with?”

Shiro gives her a warning glare before looking back at Alfor.

“Figure out who killed Narti Ames because right now, the suspects are Matthew Holt, Lotor Isola, and you, Shiro,” Alfor continues.

Shiro’s eyes widen in panic. “Sir, they haven’t been seen in nearly two years, and I have no memory of the time Matt and I were kidnapped.”

“I know. That is why you are the next possible person to have any motive,” Alfor replies. “That is also why I am sending you on a sabbatical and having Agent Kogane step in as team leader effective immediately. You will return once this case is solved. In the meantime, I advise you to jog your memory of what happened. Do you remember your old psychologist, Doctor Adam Weller? He has been called in to assist in any and all ways possible.” He clears his throat. “I hope your history with him won’t affect anything.”

Shiro’s cheeks flush up slightly. “It won’t, sir.”

Alfor nods curly. “Good.”

Keith steps forward. “Uh, sir? Are you sure this is a good idea?”

His team gave him wide eyes and prepared for Alfor to murder him.

Alfor ponders the thought for a moment. “Consider this your redemption shot to compensate for you missing that meeting due to…unforeseen circumstances.”

Keith nods. “Fair enough. Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

“I am instructing Miss Quinn and Miss Valentina to assist your team in any way they can. This is the top priority.” Alfor motions for Allura and Nyma to follow him out.

Once he’s gone, everyone left turns to Shiro. No one dares speak at first, but Pidge breaks the silence with a question. “Did you just get fired?”

Shiro sighs, chuckling slightly. “Kinda feels like that, doesn’t it?”

She stands up and runs over to hug him. “We’ll clear your name, Shiro. I’ll do everything I can.”

Shiro hugs her back. “I know you will. You’ve got a new, very qualified leader to take you there.” He gives Keith a reassuring smile then releases Pidge. “I’ll leave you guys to it then.” He opens the meeting room door and walks out.

When the door shuts, Lance turns to Keith. “Doctor Weller worked with Shiro?! He’s honestly my inspiration!”

Keith nods. “Dated him for a few years too before Shiro went out on that mission that caused him to lose his memory. I thought they’d get married, but Adam called it off because he didn’t want to wait for Shiro to commit to one thing anymore.”

“So he stopped loving Shiro?” Lance asks.

“No,” Keith answers. “They’re still in love. Shiro put his focus on his work instead of his relationship. Adam loved that he was so passionate about his job, but after Shiro was rescued from being in captivity, he continued to push himself past what he was able to do. Adam told him it wasn’t healthy because of his PTSD, but Shiro didn’t listen, claiming Adam didn’t understand. I guess they both just gave up on each other, but they never stopped loving each other.”

“Yeah, my money is on them getting back together after this case is solved,” Pidge interjects.

“Interesting,” Lance comments. “Two psychologists would be beneficial.”

“He actually hated working on the murder cases. It bummed him out, so he was never fully trained like you were, Lance,” Hunk reveals.

“I think I can change his mind,” Lance says confidently. “I mean, Shiro and Adam were basically the OG Keith and myself.”

Pidge bites her lip, giving Keith a smirk. “Aside from the being in love part, right?”

Keith gives Pidge a death glare while Lance tries to fix what he meant. “Right…I meant more of like the doctor-patient relationship,” he clarifies.

Pidge raises her eyebrows then turns to Hunk and Ezor. “Either of you wanna say it?”

Hunk shakes his head no. “That is  _ not _ in my job description.”

“I’ll pass,” Ezor responds with a slight smirk.

“Tell me what?” Lance wonders.

Keith sighs. “They hooked up after their third session together.”

“Oh…never mind then.”

Ezor pats Lance’s shoulder then looks at Keith expectantly.

Keith clears his throat. “Uh, right, well, if we’re done with that…I guess I’m in charge now. All of our reputations are on the line here, but we’re more than capable of solving this.” He looks at Lance. “Lance, where should we start?”

“I want to see the crime scene photos,” Lance says.

“Got it. Pidge, get those over here ASAP,” Keith instructs. Pidge begins typing away.

“I can go ask Allura and Nyma to get us the cases Narti worked on last,” Ezor offers.

Keith nods. “Good.”

“I’ll get Shay and Coran to send over the autopsy results and the probable make-up of the weapons used to kill and torture her,” Hunk says.

“Great,” Keith states with a nod. “Move out, team.”

Ezor salutes Keith then walks out of the meeting room to find Allura and Nyma while Hunk pulls his phone out to call Shay. Once he says hello, he walks out of the room towards his office. Keith watches Pidge work on pulling up the crime scene photos, but only a few pop-up.

“Dammit. Not all of them are uploaded,” Pidge says. “I’ll be right back.” She hops out of her chair and scampers out the door.

When she’s gone, Keith looks away from the screen and sits down, putting his face in his hands. He senses Lance sit down next to him and place his hand on his shoulder. “What’s up?” Lance asks.

“I-I don’t know what to think about this,” Keith shares. “She lied to me.”

“Keith, if Krolia was CIA, she probably wasn’t allowed to tell you,” Lance reasons.

Keith looks at Lance, frowning. “If she’s involved with the Russian mob, her body could be in Russia right now, rotting away!” Keith exclaims, frustrated. “And we can’t do shit about it since we don’t have jurisdiction! We can’t ask anyone questions because two of our three best leads are MIA, and the third doesn’t remember anything!”

Lance smirks and crosses his arms. “Actually, there is one person we can talk to, Amelia Kefter. You said she mentioned the names Ladnok and Ranveig. If we can get her to tell us who those people are, then we’ll get somewhere.”

Keith shakes his head no. “She’ll never talk unless we offer her something in return.”

“We could get her transferred to her brother’s prison,” Lance suggests.

Fuming, Keith seizes Lance’s arm and drags him out of the meeting room and into Lance’s office. He shuts the door behind them then storms up to Lance, poking a finger at his chest. “She  _ kidnapped _ me, a federal agent! Plus, now I have a shit ton more scars  _ and _ the fucking burn marks from that fucking metal rod! She did things to me, Lance. I can’t stand by and watch her get put in a lower security facility. It would tear me apart.”

Lance pulls Keith in for a hug. “I’m gonna be right there with you, Keith. She’s never going to do that to you again.”

Keith squeezes his eyes shut and clings to him. “Lance, I can’t. Please don’t make me do this.”

“Under any other circumstance, I wouldn’t make you do anything, but I truly believe this is what has to be done,” Lance says honestly. “I can’t force you to do anything because you’re my patient and I know your limits and since you’re the lead.” He releases Keith a little to look him in the eye. “But, most importantly, because you’re my friend, and I would not do that to you. I can’t change my thoughts that this is the path I think we should go down.”

Keith bites his lip and releases Lance fully. “Did you ever see the full extent of my injuries?”

Lance nods. “I saw the X-rays.”

“No aftermath?”

He shakes his head no, so Keith begins undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. Lance’s eyes widen and he grabs Keith’s hands to stop him. “Whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?”

“Showing you what I look like now,” Keith explains.

Lance releases Keith then makes sure the blinds are closed and the door is locked. “You trust me enough?”

“I trust you more than anyone,” Keith answers firmly. “I haven’t even told Pidge.”

Lance raises his eyebrows. “W-wow. I didn’t expect that from you.”

Keith chuckles and tosses his tie onto the couch and begins pulling his arms out of the sleeves of his shirt. “You managed to win me over and now you’re stuck with me.” He tosses the shirt onto the couch and sighs, looking down at his scar-riddled chest. There’s a single large one going down his sternum from the metal rod Trugg used and plenty of little ones from the various knives she cut him with.

He watches Lance’s jaw clench and sees his eyes roam his chest and stomach. In any other circumstance, Keith would be a blushing mess ever since he realized his feelings for Lance went much deeper, but this has a different meaning to it. He’s opening himself up to Lance so Lance knows that he trusts him.

Lance swallows and steps up close to Keith, covering his mouth with one hand and tracing his finger down the large scar on Keith’s chest. “Oh my god,” Lance whispers.

“Surprisingly, I didn’t register most of them because the metal rod burning my skin had most of my attention,” Keith shares.

“And that one?” Lance wonders, pointing to a large gash in Keith’s left shoulder.

Keith looks to his left. “Oh, yeah, that one too. She stabbed me when I insulted her ability to get to me.”

Lance raises an eyebrow. “You antagonized a psychopath?! Keith, what the hell were you thinking?”

Keith shrugs. “I never show fear. Plus, it’d give her the satisfaction of getting to me. I wasn’t about to give her that.”

“Keith Kogane, you are the stubbornest man I’ve ever met,” Lance says while smiling, “and that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Don’t ever do that again.”

Keith crosses his arms. “Get kidnapped or piss off a psychopath?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t promise either of those,” Keith laughs. He lifts his shirt off the couch and starts putting it back on.

Lance rolls his eyes then heads to his desk to start sifting through some papers on his desk. “Thank you for showing me, Keith. It means a lot—for more reasons than you think.”

Keith folds down his collar and tilts his head. “Like what?”

“Well, I won’t tell you all of them since you probably have an idea of most of them, but one is how much you’ve grown this past year and couple months I started working with you,” Lance says. “It makes me so happy! I think we should—”

He stops talking when someone knocks on the door. Keith walks over to it, unlocks it, and opens it just as he finishes the last button. He starts tying his tie while Ezor stands there with some files in her hands. She raises an eyebrow at Keith tying his tie but doesn’t comment on it.

Ezor shakes her head. “I, uh, have Narti’s files.”

“Great! Let’s get to work looking at them,” Keith says. He leads her and Lance back into the meeting room where Pidge is sifting through Lotor’s and Matt’s notes.

Pidge notices them walk in and quickly pulls up the crime scene photos on an iPad then slides it to Lance. “Here, Lance. I don’t know why the other stuff wasn’t uploaded right away, but I got to yell at the forensics people, so I felt good about that.”

“Did they say they why weren’t uploaded?” Lance wonders.

Pidge continues looking on her computer. “Uh, no, actually. Just that they forgot. It’s very unprofessional in my opinion.”

Lance sets the iPad down and looks at her. “Do you remember who said that?”

“Uhh, I don’t know his name, but if you showed me a picture I could tell you…why? Pidge asks, turning to him.

“These aren’t the real crime scene photos,” Lance states.

Keith and Ezor walk over to where Lance is and look at the iPad. Keith scrunches his nose in confusion, not seeing anything different than what he looked at earlier. Narti is displayed on the White House steps and sees the word  _ snitch _ written on her forehead. “I see no difference. How can you tell?”

“The body isn’t in the same position and the words look like a font you’d find on Microsoft Word,” Lance explains. “These photos are replicas. Someone switched them out—we need to see Shay and Coran immediately.”

“Well, Coran had to be at the courts with Allura about forty-five minutes ago, so Shay’s the only one at the morgue. What are you getting at?”

Lance stands up and grabs Keith’s shoulders. “Shay is the one in charge of sending the photos over, especially ones like this. Clearly, she wasn’t the one who sent these over. A lot of dangerous people could be involved with this and—”

Keith covers Lance’s mouth with his hand then turns to Ezor. “If anyone comes in here asking about the case and they aren’t Hunk, Nyma Allura, or Coran, shoot or arrest them.”

“What if it’s Shiro?” Ezor asks.

“Arrest his ass. He’s not working on this case anymore, so he should know better,” Keith replies.

Ezor nods, saluting Keith as he and Lance leave to the parking garage to head to the morgue. Keith gets in the driver’s seat while Lance hops in the passenger’s seat. He starts the car then pulls out, speeding down the road.

Keith clenches the steering wheel with an iron grip. “If some dickface did something to Shay, I’m going to fire some people.”

“First of all, I’m sure she’s fine. Second of all, you don’t have any authority to fire anyone. Third of all, drive faster!” Lance exclaims. “Hunk will kill us if something happened!”

Keith turns on the siren and slams on the gas, speeding down the road. Cars move out of their way quickly as Keith zigzags through them. He turns sharply down another road then into the morgue’s parking lot. Keith pulls the keys out of the ignition and hops out of the car with Lance, both with their guns drawn. He leads Lance inside the morgue, pointing his gun as he looks around. Usually, there are desk workers, but there’s no one in sight.

Keith pushes aside the sinking feeling inside and slowly leads Lance to where Shay works. The lights are flickering in the hallway as they walk further down the hallway. When they reach Shay’s workroom, they’re greeted with the metallic scent of blood. “Shay? Are you in here?” Keith asks, stepping inside with Lance.

“Keith, call an ambulance,” Lance instructs, suddenly kneeling on the ground.

Keith turns and sees a tray of tools spilled on the ground beside Shay’s limp body. There’s a medium sized pool of blood underneath her. Lance applies pressure to the wound and feels for a pulse. “She’s alive but barely.”

Keith pulls out his phone and demands an ambulance be sent to the morgue. Once done with the call, Keith sends Hunk a text to head to the hospital because Shay’s been shot. “I’m going to kill whoever did this,” Keith states.

“I think Hunk might get to them first, Keith,” Lance replies.

Suddenly, Shay stirs from the floor, eyes fluttering open. “L-Lance?”

Keith and Lance look at her. “Hey, shh, don’t move. You’re going to be okay. Help is coming.”

“Found…s-something,” Shay whispers, wincing at the pain. “My…notes.” She lifts her arm and points at the desk, but she drops it immediately after. Her eyes shut and she falls unconscious again.

Keith scrambles to go to the desk and searches through the papers, but not finding any of Shay’s notes. “They’re not here! Where are they!?”

EMTs rush into the room and take over from Lance, taking Shay out on a stretcher. Lance points to Shay’s phone on the ground. “She did find something. She had your contact pulled up. I think she was going to call you,” he says.

Keith yells in frustration and kicks a stool aside angrily. “Whoever did this, I am going to skin them alive.”

Lance washes the blood off his hands then goes over to Keith. “You’re not doing that. I’m going to call Coran to explain what happened and to tell him to get back here as soon as possible to try to figure out what Shay found.”

“I’m going to call another agent to get here to make sure Coran isn’t shot,” Keith says, pulling his phone out. He calls an agent named Nathan McGivney. It rings for a bit before he picks up.

“ _ McGivney _ ,” he says.

Keith taps his foot. “Nate, it’s Keith. I need you at the morgue right now.”

“ _ What? Keith, I have a bunch of paperwork to sort through right now. I can’t come down there _ ,” Nate replies. “ _ I’m trying to differentiate whether the bulletproof vests are part of the uniform or if they’re equipment _ .”

Lance walks back over from talking to Coran. He opens his mouth to say something, but Keith moves the phone away from his ear and holds his hand up to stop him. “Lance, give me a second,” Keith instructs before moving the phone back to his ear. “Alright, why don’t you put on the bulletproof vest, and I’ll come down there and shoot you. Then you can tell me if it’s uniform or equipment. Get down to the morgue  _ now _ . Oh, and tell Victors to get her ass to the hospital or else she can be a test dummy too.” Keith hangs up and gives Lance a glare. “What do you want because I’m in no mood.”

Lance tilts his head. “Did you just threaten to shoot someone?”

“Kinda, what’s up?” Keith asks as he slips his phone back in his pocket.

“Coran said Shay always uploads her findings onto Pidge’s secure server, so if we can’t find her physical notes, Pidge can find them,” Lance shares. “And why are you sending Agent Victors to the hospital?”

“So she can stay posted outside Shay’s door,” Keith explains.

“Won’t Hunk be there?” Lance wonders as they make their way back to the car to head to the hospital.

“Yeah, but he’ll be too distracted by Shay to notice anything suspicious. Besides, he and Victors are friends so it’ll be fine,” Keith replies, hopping into the driver’s seat. “I’ll probably have Pidge take over what he’s been doing. She might have to go out into the field, but she’ll just have to deal with it.”

As Keith turns into the hospital parking lot, Lance looks out the window. “You know she’s gonna ask for a gun.”

“And the answer will be no as it always is,” Keith says automatically, getting out of the car.

They walk into the lobby and find Hunk pacing in the lobby. Lance excuses himself to take a phone call while Keith walks up to Hunk. He notices Keith walking over and immediately storms over, visibly fuming. “Who the fuck shot her?! How did they get in?!”

Keith sighs. “Hunk, calm down—”

“I can’t calm down!” Hunk exclaims. “How would you feel if it was Lance?!”

“He’s my partner,” Keith replies calmly. “I’d be upset, but I wouldn’t let it—”

“That is  _ not _ what I’m talking about,” Hunk interrupts.

Keith’s eyes widen at Hunk’s implications then tugs him aside. “Did Pidge tell you?!”

Hunk shakes his head no. “She didn’t need to. I figured it out at the Halloween party when he was drunk and was all over you. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had some secret feelings for you.”

“That would never happen! Lance wouldn’t do that because I’m his patient,” Keith says firmly.

Hunk crosses his arms. “Explain Adam and Shiro. You know, you guys aren’t so different from them.”

“We are different!”

“How so?”

“B-because…Lance is straight!”

Hunk scoffs and uncrosses his arms. “I don’t believe that for a second, and I don’t think you do either.”

“Well—” Keith clenches his jaw. “Never mind that. Who else knows? Aside from Pidge.”

“I haven’t told anyone, but Ezor has asked me questions. I told her I don’t know anything, Hunk shares. “I think you should talk to her, though.”

Keith shakes his head no. “I’d rather not have this conversation right now with you. What makes you think I want to have it with her?”

“Well, because she’s part of the team, and she’s your friend. Plus you’ve been in tough situations with her and know you can trust her.” Hunk pauses for a moment. “Remember the case last week? With that husband who was leading four different lives and had you at gunpoint? I was ready to blow the guy’s brains out, but Ezor talked him down and saved your life. Lance couldn’t be involved because his class had a three-part exam to do so she stepped in.”

Keith sighs. “I hate it when you’re right.”

Hunk flashes Keith a wide smile. “It’s a blessing and a burden.”

There’s a moment of silence before Hunk breaks it to speak again. “Hey, thanks.”

“For what?”

“Talking with me…keeping my mind off the fact that the woman I love might not make it.”

Keith chuckles. “I’m glad my pathetic love life could take your mind off of it.”

Hunk pulls Keith in for a hug just as Lance walks back over. “Sorry about that! A student had a question about a test we’re having tomorrow, but she sounded drunk on the phone and I’m pretty sure she was flirting with me—did I miss a touching moment?!” Lance demands.

Keith releases Hunk and looks at him with fear in his eyes. “Nah, Keith was just reassuring me nothing would go wrong with Shay’s surgery, and I should believe in the doctors,” Hunk shares.

Lance smiles at Keith. “Aw! How nice! I can tell you that if it was Keith or my brother in there—I don’t think I’d be this calm.” He looks at Hunk.

“What about Nyma?” Hunk wonders.

Lance laughs. “As if she’d ever go near someone dangerous with a gun.”

Hunk crosses his arms. “Are you saying Shay is dumb?”

“No, I actually was calling Nyma a coward,” Lance replies casually.

“Oh…wow…” Hunk slowly uncrosses his arms. “Okay, but technically you already did go through this with Keith.”

“Yeah! I was not a happy camper,” Lance comments.

Keith tilts his head. “What did you do?”

Lance chuckles slightly and scratches his head. “I, uh, may have called your surgeons incompetent egotistical morons who should be stripped of their medical degrees.”

“Ezor had to hold him back from punching a nurse,” Hunk adds.

Keith laughs loudly. “Sounds like something I’d do!”

“It wasn’t my finest moment,” Lance admits, “but they allowed me to be present during the rest of the surgery. Your heart stopped three times. The first time you were dead for one minute and forty-seven seconds. The second time you were dead for four minutes and three seconds. The third time you were dead for six minutes and fifty-nine seconds.”

“You memorized those times?” Keith wonders quietly.

“I will never,  _ ever _ forget those times,” Lance states firmly.

Keith smiles to himself. “That means a lot, Lance. People don’t typically care.”

“That’s a lie, Keith!” Hunk exclaims. “We all were a wreck when you were in surgery! Shiro literally had to take Pidge’s computer away so she wouldn’t hack into the hospital computers to get answers on what was happening.”

Keith laughs. “We’re a mess.”

Hunk plops down in one of the chairs with a chuckle. “That we are!”

Keith and Lance sit down with him, continuing the conversation for about another twenty minutes before a doctor comes into the waiting room with a clipboard.

“Tsuyoshi Garett?” she asks.

Hunk stands up. “That’s me.”

The doctor nods. “Yes, alright, we don’t have enough O negative at the moment. She is stable, but we’re asking the neighbor hospital if-”

“No need. I’m O negative,” Keith states, standing up.

Hunk looks at Keith. “Keith…thank you.”

Keith nods at Hunk. “I’m sorta used to losing blood…at least it’ll be put to good use this time.”

The doctor leads Keith to an open room and has him lay down on a bed. She begins getting the tools and equipment ready to take Keith’s blood while Keith rolls his left sleeve up. The doctor hooks Keith up to the blood pressure monitor and wipes the area she will be connecting the IV to draw the blood out. Once she finds a suitable vein, she connects it and blood begins moving through the tube to the kit.

About six or so minutes pass and the doctor unhooks Keith and she wipes up his arm again and puts a bandage on it. She moves the little table over to Keith with some water and snacks on it.

“Alright drink and eat that. I’m going to take care of this. Don’t go walking around,” the doctor instructs before walking out.

After a few minutes, Keith reaches for the water as Lance walks into the room. “That was really kind of you, Keith,” Lance comments.

“I’ve donated before. Hell, I probably needed transfusions while I was in surgery,” Keith says.

“You did. You lost a lot,” Lance shares. “There was another little girl who needed surgery done on her leg at the same time you did and the doctors didn’t know who to give the blood to. I mean there was plenty, but only enough for one of you to get the full amount you needed.”

“They better have given it to that little girl,” Keith says before sipping his water.

Lance smiles. “I told them that’s what you would’ve wanted. The little girl had a successful surgery with the transfusions, but Shay had to donate some blood for you.”

Keith sets down the water and thinks for a moment. “Wow…”

“I wanted to do it, but unfortunately I’m AB positive,” Lance grumbles.

“Well, that means you can get blood from anyone, right?” Keith wonders.

Lance nods. “Yeah! Hashtag universal receiver!” He takes a seat next to Keith in the extra chair. “Wouldn’t it be weird if  Shay got her own blood back?”

“Lance, you have a doctorate. You should know that’s nearly impossible.” Keith reaches for the bag of trail mix and begins eating it.

“Oh, I know, but isn’t it just cool to think about? Like, you needed it at the time, but now you’re returning it almost like you borrowed it,” Lance comments.

Keith nods. “That’s a nice sentiment.”

“Pidge wanted to donate too, but her iron levels were low plus she weighs like two points so,” Lance adds with a shrug.

Keith laughs loudly. “Very true!”

They sit in silence for a few more minutes while Keith finishes his snacks. Eventually, the doctor comes back with a happier expression on her face. “Good news! The transfusion was a success!” she exclaims. “She’s in recovery in her hospital room at the moment, but she needs rest.”

“Just as long as she’s okay. When will we be able to visit?” Keith asks.

“Tsuyoshi said he would stay with her, and I decided not to say no to that, but for other visitors…tomorrow morning? Not too many,” the doctor answers.

“Probably a smart choice not saying no,” Lance states.

“We’ll tell our other friends tomorrow afternoon then,” Keith says.

The doctor nods. “Sounds good. You two have a safe ride home…it’s gotten snowy outside.

Keith looks at the time on his phone and sees it’s well past eight. He also notices texts from most of the team and missed calls from Shiro and Pidge. Keith looks up at Lance. “Can you drive back? I probably shouldn’t.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lance agrees, taking the keys from Keith.

Keith unlocks his phone again as they head outside then goes to Pidge’s contact, hovering his finger over call, but he stops when he sees the snow on the ground and the snowflakes falling. He chuckles and turns to Lance. “Christmas is coming.”

“It’s about fucking time it snowed!” Lance exclaims with a big smile.

Keith slips his gloves on as Lance spins around with his tongue out. He reaches down and grabs a handful of snow, forming it into a ball before chucking it at Lance. Keith laughs as Lance yelps and rubs his shoulder. “Ow! You played baseball! That’s not fair!” he complains.

Lance reaches down to grab snow to make into a ball to throw at Keith, nailing him in the chest. They continue throwing snowballs at each other until Keith’s phone rings again. He dodges another snowball from Lance and sees it’s Pidge calling. Keith presses accept then holds it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“ _ Jackass! _ ” Pidge yells. “ _ Why the fuck haven’t you answered your phone?! _ ”

“I’ve been at the hospital,” Keith replies.

“ _ EXCUSE ME?! _ ”

Keith winces at her tone. “Not me! Shay!”

“Hunk literally knocked four people down when he bolted out of the station. I tried to ask him what happened, but he didn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that close to crying,” Pidge shares. “But you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Keith states. “Lance is fine too. Tell the others not to worry, okay?”

“Okay,” Pidge agrees. “Get home safely and don’t even think about driving your motorcycle in this weather!”

“Fuck, I forgot about that. Pidge, I gotta go.” Keith hangs up and looks at Lance. “My bike is still at the station.”

“Well, I’m not letting you drive it home in this weather. I’ll give you a ride home today, then a ride to work tomorrow, alright?” Lance raises an eyebrow at him, challenging Keith to object.

Keith sighs. “Fine. Let’s go.”

They get back to the SUV, and Lance drives them back to the station where they go inside to collect their things. Keith looks longingly at his motorcycle before hopping into the passenger’s seat of Lance’s car. They drive in silence, Keith occasionally telling Lance where to turn to get to his apartment.

When they arrive, Keith grabs his things and gets out of the car. He shuts the passenger’s door and waves goodbye, watching Lance drive off before making his way into the apartment complex and up to his room.

 

* * *

 

_ December 22 _

* * *

 

Keith paces impatiently in the main room of his apartment, waiting for Lance to arrive to pick him up since he refused to let Keith drive his motorcycle home yesterday. He continuously looks at his phone for any notification from Lance, but he gets nothing. He pulls up Lance’s contact to call him, but Lance calls him first. Keith accepts the call. “Lance! Where are you?!” he demands.

“ _ I’m outside! Let’s go, slowpoke _ !” Lance exclaims.

“I hate you.”

“ _ That’s a lie, Ruby Red, and you know it _ .”

“I’m heading down now. See you in a few.”

“ _ I’ll keep your seat warm for you, Ruby Red _ .”

“Yeah, I hate you.” Keith hangs up and grabs his stuff then heads out the door, locking it behind him. He walks down his apartment stairs then outside just to be greeted by a gust of wind and snow to the face. “Son of a—”

“C’mon, Snow White! Let’s GO!” Lance yells from inside his car.

Keith shoots Lance a glare then treks over to his car, getting into the passenger’s side. “I hate this—is my new nickname Snow White?”

“Nah, I just think it’s funny because you have pale skin and dark hair,” Lance replies with a smile, driving to the station.

“Wow, that’s rude.”

“Thanks, I learned from the best.” Lance winks at Keith.

Keith scoffs, ignoring him for the rest of the ride. He watches the people out the window, walking in and out of stores with bags for Christmas. When they stop at a stoplight, Keith smiles to himself when he sees a little girl tug her mom’s sleeve to point at something in a toy store before bolting inside.

The light turns green, and Lance pulls away, the little girl and her mom turning into a blur through the window. They arrive at the station, and Lance parks in his spot next to Keith’s bike where it was left overnight. Keith and Lance collect their things then exit the car, walking into the building.

“I checked the weather for tonight, and I don’t think it’s supposed to storm,” Lance says as they get into the elevator. “So you can drive your bike home.”

Keith presses the third-floor button. “I didn’t know I needed your permission.”

“When it concerns your safety, it does,” Lance replies. “I also expect a text from you when you get home safely.”

“Why would you—” Keith stops when he realizes why Lance would want that. The last time Keith didn’t text Lance he got home, Trugg kidnapped him. “Oh…fine! I’ll text you.”

Lance smiles in gratitude. “That’s all I ask.”

“Well, I have to grab something from Shiro’s office. Pidge told me she needed it but couldn’t get to it right now,” Keith says as they walk into the desk area. “I’ll meet with you and everyone else in the meeting room in a few.”

Keith approaches Shiro’s office and enters to grab the file that Pidge needs but stops in his tracks when he sees Shiro and Doctor Adam Weller inside. “Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt a session?” Keith asks.

Shiro stands. “Keith! No, come in. You remember Adam, right?”

Keith shakes Adam’s hand. “I do. You tried to give me a psych eval, but I scared you away.”

Adam chuckles. “You are far more intense than Takashi.”

“We both know that’s not true,” Keith counters. “I reminded you of him and it hurt you too much.”

Adam raises an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, I thought I was speaking to Special Agent Keith Kogane.” He smiles. “How have you become that insightful since the last time I saw you?

“You may thank yours truly for that,” Lance’s voice sounds from behind.

Everyone turns around and sees Lance standing smugly in the doorway. He stands up straight and walks over to Keith and Adam, holding his hand out for Adam to shake. “Hi, I’m Doctor Lance McClain. You must be Doctor Adam Weller! It’s an honor to meet you.”

Adam shakes Lance’s hand enthusiastically. “The honor’s all mine. I’ve heard what you’ve done for this team, and it’s excellent work. You’ve managed to make this one conscious of others.”

Keith huffs and crosses his arms.

“He’s a work in progress, but I like the challenge,” Lance replies with a proud smile at Keith.

Keith blushes and looks away from Lance, but his eyes widen when Adam smirks between the two of them with a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Anyway, since Keith’s the lead on this case,” Adam begins, changing the subject, “technically I should be discussing my theories with him, right?”

“I thought you hated working on murder cases? You always complained about it back in the day,” Shiro comments.

Adam stiffens and looks at Shiro with a stern expression. “We both know that’s not the truth, Takashi.” He turns back to Keith, looking at him expectantly.

Keith sighs and looks at Shiro. “Shiro—”

Shiro holds his hands up defensively. “I’ll make myself scarce.”

“You don’t—” Keith starts.

“It’s okay, Keith. Adam and I have finished anyway.” Shiro looks at Adam one last time before walking out, shutting the door behind him.

Keith’s gaze flickers over to Lance who simply gives Keith a shrug. He then looks at Adam who is staring longingly at the door.

“Do you regret it?” Keith wonders.

Adam turns to Keith. “Regret what?”

“Loving him.”

Adam smiles slightly. “Nope and I still don’t. He’s my soulmate, but I’ll never be his first choice.”

“Everyone on this team with the exceptions of Lance and Ezor will tell you that Shiro was a wreck when you called off the engagement,” Keith shares.

“I didn’t want to!” Adam exclaims. “I loved him so much, and I couldn’t wait to finally be able to call him my husband, but I couldn’t handle the thoughts of  _ is today the day the love of my life dies? _ ” He sighs. “I just—it was too much for me.” He rubs his forehead. “Could we discuss something else?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Keith apologizes. “Um, I think you said you had some theories?”

“Yes, I did.” Adam shuffles through some papers on the table. “I was looking at the case file and the background on Narti and some things didn’t add up. This woman barely spoke while she worked at the U.S. Attorney’s office. Some people even thought she was mute.”

“Yeah,” Keith agrees. “We decided she was a loner.”

“But she wasn’t,” Adam continues. “When she did speak, she was one of the top five attorneys in the country. I’m looking at her record sheet and she barely lost.”

Keith turns and looks at Lance. “You didn’t think of that.”

“I—I mean I considered it, but I guess I didn’t connect the dots…” Lance trails off.

Keith looks back at Adam. “If this is true, why would someone like her end up murdered on the White House steps with the word  _ snitch _ written on her?”

“She could be working a side job and didn’t do her share or ratted the person out,” Adam suggests. “I think we should—”

Suddenly Ezor and Nyma burst through the door, eyes wide and out of breath. Keith holds up his hand to stop them. “Guys, we’re kinda in the middle—”

“We found him,” Ezor interrupts.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “What? Who?”

“Lotor Isola. We found him,” Ezor reveals. “Come on, we gotta get to the hospital.”

Keith exchanges a shocked expression with Adam and Lance then hurries out after Ezor and Nyma without another word. “Where did you find him?” Keith asks.

“We had surveillance around the White House and someone spotted his body hidden in some bushes. We thought he was dead, but we were  _ way _ wrong,” Ezor explains. “He was unconscious and had been pumped full of drugs.”

“He’s currently getting an earful from Allura, but he refuses to say anything until you’re there,” Nyma continues as they get into one of the SUVs.

“Why me?” Keith asks as Ezor pulls out of the station.

“I don’t know, but I’ve never seen him this angry before,” Nyma replies.

Keith doesn’t comment on that as Ezor drives them to the hospital. When they arrive, they get out of the car and walk inside. Keith shows the nurse at the front desk his badge and asks where Lotor Isola’s room is. The nurse tells him the third room on the left down the hall. He leads Nyma and Ezor down the hall, and they hear the back and forth yelling of Allura and Lotor.

“How could you be such an idiot?! Why were you investigating that?!” Allura demands.

“I told Ezor and Nyma my terms. I will only speak to Keith!” Lotor exclaims.

“What about  _ my _ terms?! You’re insufferable!” Allura yells.

Keith opens the door and allows Ezor and Nyma to walk inside first. “Are we interrupting?” Keith wonders when Lotor and Allura look at them.

Allura angrily stands up from her chair. “It is about damn time you arrived! What took you so long?!”

Keith opens his mouth to threaten to remove her from the case, but Ezor speaks first. “Allura, why don’t you come with me a second?” she asks.

“Why would I do that?” Allura wonders.

“If you don’t, I’m sure Keith won’t hesitate to remove you from this case,” Ezor replies. “You’re making it too personal.”

Allura huffs angrily but leaves with Ezor. Keith exchanges a shrug with Nyma then walks over to Lotor’s bed, pulling out his notepad. “I was told you’d only speak to me,” Keith states.

Lotor nods. “Yes. You are the lead on this case, correct?”

“Yep. Shiro was booted off when we discovered the victim was one of the U.S. Attorneys his team investigated,” Keith shares. “Did you kill Narti Ames?”

Nyma sputters and looks at Keith. “You can’t just ask him that!”

“Are you legally representing him?” Keith wonders.

“No, but—”

“Then kindly let me do my job.”

Lotor sighs. “I did not kill Narti Ames, but I do know who did.”

Keith looks back at him. “Who?”

“A very bad Russian man named Ranveig…I think…” Lotor trails off.

Keith clenches his jaw and looks at Nyma then back at Lotor. “You  _ think _ ? How do you know this?”

“I heard it happen!” Lotor exclaims. “They—Ranveig and Narti—were arguing, and he stormed out, then she came over to where I was tied up and—”

“Wait,” Keith interrupts. “Were Matt or Krolia there?”

“I-I’m not sure where they’re keeping them, but I’ve definitely heard them being tortured before,” Lotor answers.

Nyma covers her mouth and sits down. “Oh my God!”

“How did you escape?” Keith questions.

“I don’t know.”

Keith huffs. “So, they just let you go?”

“I don’t know.”

Keith runs his fingers through his hair. “Dammit, Lotor! Give me  _ something _ ! As of right now, you’re the only suspect I have to arrest for Narti Ames’s murder!”

“I think I’m what got her killed,” Lotor admits.

“Lotor! For the love of everything! Just  _ please _ let me represent you!” Nyma begs.

“No! Keith needs the truth,” Lotor says firmly.

“Then tell me the truth,” Keith orders.

“Narti told me something, but I can’t remember what. Everything happened quickly—so quickly—” Lotor shivers.

“If you have nothing to give me, I’m arresting you,” Keith tells.

“You know he’s innocent!” Nyma reasons. “Keith, please.”

“It’s my fucking job, Nyma!” Keith shouts. “He has motive, means, and opportunity!”

Nyma crosses her arms. “Innocent until proven guilty!”

Keith glowers down at her. “I could arrest you for impeding an investigation.”

Nyma scoffs. “Director Alfor won’t let you do that.”

“He’ll understand when I tell him you wouldn’t let me interrogate Lotor,” Keith states.

“You really think you can outsmart me, Kogane?” Nyma wonders with a raised eyebrow. “I’m the best of the best!”

Keith clenches his fists. “No, that’s Allura! You’re just some—”

“Stop!” Lotor exclaims. “There has to be something that someone can do to jog my memory!”

Keith tears his gaze away from Nyma to look at Lotor. “You want a cognitive interview?”

Lotor’s face lights up. “Yes!”

“Fine!” Keith yells. He angrily pulls out his phone and calls Lance.

“ _ Well, hello Ruby Red _ ,” Lance greets slyly.

“I need you and Adam at the hospital as soon as possible. Lotor’s demanding a cognitive interview, and I’m too agitated to do one right now,” Keith instructs.

“ _ What’s happening _ ?” he wonders.

“I might arrest half of our teammates,” Keith answers. “Get down here.” He hangs up without another word. “This better work. If it doesn’t, I’m arresting you.”

Nyma sighs. “Keith—”

Keith whirls around, glowering at Nyma again. “Out! Get out of this hospital room!”

“But Director Alfor—”

“I DON’T CARE!” Keith bellows. “You’re working my last nerve! Go wait with Ezor and Allura in the waiting room!”

Nyma huffs angrily then storms out. Keith sits down in one of the chairs, rubbing his forehead.

“Keith, are you okay?” Lotor wonders.

“No, Lotor, I’m not,” Keith retorts. “I’m in charge because it’s possible that Shiro murdered Narti. I can’t have a session with my psychologist because we’re working on the case. Everyone’s up my ass because apparently, I’m next in line to take Shiro’s job when he retires and—”

Keith stops talking when he sees Adam and Lance walk through the door and visibly relaxes. “Thank fuck!” Keith exclaims.

Lance raises an eyebrow suspiciously at Keith. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Keith replies curtly. “Just get this interview over with because I’m sure Allura is fuming in the waiting room.”

“Ezor had to hold her back from assaulting a nurse for telling her to stop bothering them about Lotor’s tests,” Lance shares.

Keith chuckles. “Why is everyone on this team so mean to doctors?”

Lance shrugs. “I mean if they’d just tell us what we want to know—”

“Don’t we have a cognitive to conduct? While the memories are still fresh!” Adam interrupts. He steps next to Lotor’s bed. “Alright, Lotor, close your eyes for us. I want you to picture yourself back in those bushes by the white house.”

Lotor takes a deep breath and nods with his eyes closed.

“What do you hear?”

Lotor furrows his eyebrows. “I-I think people are walking up the stairs. Everything sounds distant.”

“How’s your head?”

“Hurts! Like hell!” Lotor cringes and rubs his head. “The man who dragged me here hit me with something.”

Adam nods at Keith. “What did it feel like?”

“Hard…round…a pipe?”

Keith yanks out his notepad and begins taking notes.

“The man who dragged you,” Adam begins, “was he alone?”

“I-I think so,” Lotor replies. “He was on the phone. He kept mentioning an emperor and the name Throk.”

Keith’s eyes widen then mouths to Lance:  _ Throk Rezkir? The House member? _ He then scribbles it down on his notepad while Adam continues.

“What did the man’s voice sound like?” Adam questions.

“American.”

“Any defining features about him?”

“Glass eye.”

Keith’s jaw drops down in awe at Adam before quickly writing the information down.

“I kept fading in and out of consciousness,” Lotor continues. “I think I was in a car—no, a van. Before he put me in it…it was a New York license plate.”

Keith furiously scribbles down the information.

“Any numbers or letters you can recall?” Adam asks next.

“I think the second number was an eight…” Lotor trails off to think. “H8J…PL9.”

Keith smiles widely as he writes down the plate number.

Adam nods. “Where did he take you from? Did it smell bad?”

“Smelled like cigarettes outside, but inside smelled like alcohol and blood. I heard screaming,” Lotor says. He twitches. “No…stop hurting him!  _ It was me! Don’t touch Matt! _ ”

Adam’s eyebrows furrow. “Who’s in there with you? Who’s hurting Matt?”

“Ladnok!  _ NO _ !” Lotor’s eyes shoot open, and he breathes heavily.

One of the monitors starts beeping frantically, and a nurse quickly comes in to check on him. Adam turns to Keith when the nurse begins tending to Lotor. “Was that enough information?” he asks.

“More than enough!” Keith exclaims. “Thank you, Adam.”

“How—how are you so good at that?” Lance wonders.

“I’ve done countless cognitive interviews in my time,” Adam answers. “I couldn’t tell you how many I did with Takashi. I tried a few with Keith when he first was rescued from the bomb attack, but he refused to cooperate.”

Keith shrugs. “I don’t like to play by the rules.”

“That’s an understatement,” Lance comments.

“Anyway,” Keith interrupts, glaring at Lance, “thank you for the help, Adam. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s not a problem, really,” Adam says. “I should go check on Allura, Nyma, and Ezor then maybe take Allura home.”

Keith nods. “Probably a smart idea. Tell Ezor and Nyma they can head out as well. Lance and I will finish up here.”

Adam nods and walks out of the hospital room. Keith looks at Lance and opens his mouth to say something, but he walks out before Keith can.

Keith sighs and hands his card to the nurse. “If he has anything else to say, have him contact me, alright? Thank you.” He then follows after Lance, looking around where he could be before spotting him outside. He sighs and joins Lance where he is watching the sunset. “Lance—”

“I think I’m gonna step aside for this case,” Lance says. “I’m not helping much.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “What are you talking about? You’ve helped plenty with—”

“Adam is better than me at this,” Lance interrupts. “Keith, he’s the guy you need to help you solve this case. I’m not.”

Keith rubs his forehead. “Lance, he doesn’t know me as you do. I can’t do this without you. Besides, you’re the one who suggested we talk to Trugg.”

“Wait, I thought you didn’t want to do that?” Lance wonders. “Why did you change your mind?”

“Maybe she has some information on Ladnok, the glass eye American, Throk, and whoever the emperor,” Keith says. “Please, Lance? I can’t do it without you.”

Lance sighs. “Okay, I will.”

Keith smiles. “Great. We’ll head there first thing tomorrow morning. Now, come on, let’s head back to the station.”

 

* * *

_ December 23 _

* * *

 

Keith and Lance arrive at the prison to speak with Trugg. After they are scanned in, they meet her in one of the prison’s private visiting rooms. When Trugg sees them, she smiles widely. “Oooh, Agent Kogane!” she exclaims. “It lovely to see you again.”

“The feeling’s not mutual,” Keith replies.

Trugg looks at Lance. “I see you have brought Lance. Afraid I vill hurt you again, and he vill need to save you again?”

“Actually, he’s here so I don’t strangle the life out of you,” Keith shares.

“Ah, so he has you on leash? I zought you said he vas not your boyfriend?” Trugg wonders.

Keith slams his hands on the table. “Cut the shit, Amelia. You won’t get under my skin. This time I have the upper hand, bitch.”

“Keith,” Lance warns.

“Let me have my fun, Lance!” Keith exclaims. “You saw what this woman did to me!”

“It vas some of my best vork,” Trugg comments.

“Shut up.” Keith takes a seat in front of her. “I think you know why I’m here.”

“Vell, I do not zink it vas to see my beautiful face,” Trugg starts. “You probably vant some information I have—granted, it komes vith a price.”

Keith leans back. “Doesn’t everything with you?”

Trugg smiles. “You have learned from our time together! I impressed…ask avay.”

“I need you to give me the names of the people you’ve contacted,” Keith says.

Trugg raises an eyebrow. “Zat is mighty big request, agent. I—”

“I’m not finished,” Keith interrupts. “I need names, any locations those people have been to, and what connections they have.”

“What is in it for me?” Trugg wonders.

“I can get you transferred to your brother’s prison. It’s lower security, and you can have contact with the outside world,” Keith offers.

Trugg ponders the thought for a moment then nods. “Alright, fine. Give me pen and paper and I vill write down some names. I do not know everything, but I have some pseudonyms.”

Keith hands her his pen and rips out a blank page from his notepad. Trugg begins writing the name Ladnok Nikolaev down and draws an arrow to the name Ranveig Kuznetsov. She writes  _ the emperor _ then draws an arrow from Ranveig to the emperor. Trugg then writes a question mark and draws an arrow from the question mark to  _ the emperor _ then the name Ylvik Hime and an arrow from him to the question mark. She sets the pen down and points at  _ the emperor _ . “I do not know who emperor is, but I do know zat Ranveig ansvers to him. Ladnok and I ansver to Ranveig. Man Ylvik—he Amerikan—ansvers to some guy and zen zat guy ansvers to ze emperor,” Trugg explains.

“Wait, is the emperor an American?” Keith asks.

“Da, I believe so. He ze reason your mother is missing, but I vas not involved vith zat. Amerikan politics are petty and stupid in my opinion,” Trugg says.

“The emperor is a politician?” Keith wonders.

“Da, mighty powerful one might I add, but as I said before, I do not know his name. I vas not involved vith—”

Keith sighs angrily. “I get it! You weren’t involved! What exactly were you involved with?”

“I vas merely vay for my brother to kontact Ranveig. I writing down ze location in New York City zat I know of. I have never been zere, but I do remember Ranveig diskussing it vith question mark man who sounded Amerikan. He mentioned names Haxus and Ylvik,” Trugg shares as she writes an address down on the top of the paper.

Keith looks at Lance then back at Trugg. “I should hate you right now, but this has been helpful.”

“I look forvard to our next meeting, agent,” Trugg says with a smile.

Keith gives her a death glare then he and Lance head back to the station. “Could that mystery American Trugg talked about be the man with the glass eye Lotor mentioned?” Keith wonders.

“It’s possible, but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I have a feeling this is a lot bigger than we think,” Lance says. “If Throk Rezkir is somehow involved, then this means there’s a conspiracy within the House of Representatives—maybe even the Senate.”

“What did my mom get caught up in?” Keith wonders, turning down the road.

“Not just her. Shiro, Matt, and Lotor are directly involved too. There’s just something repressing their memories of the truth,” Lance replies.

“At least Lotor proved useful,” Keith grumbles. “Shiro doesn’t know shit.”

“Now that Adam’s back, he’ll be able to get something out of Shiro. Maybe having Shiro and Lotor talk to each other will help jog his memory too,” Lance says, pulling into the parking lot.

Keith leads Lance inside and up to the third floor. Keith spots Adam walk into Shiro’s office while Pidge, Hunk, Ezor, Allura, Nyma, and Alfor are inside the meeting room. “Lance, you tell them what we got from Trugg, and I’ll consult with Adam,” Keith says. He sees Lance’s face falter slightly. “Lance, it’s good to get a fresh view on it. You’re still  _ my _ partner.”

Lance smiles. “Okay, see you in a few.”

They split off, Lance heading into the meeting room while Keith walks into Shiro’s office. Adam is sitting at Shiro’s desk, writing in a notebook. He walks up to him and places the information Trugg wrote down in front of him. Adam scans it over then his eyes widen at Ylvik’s name. “Wait, Ylvik as in Ylvik Hime?! He’s one of the idiots who kidnapped and tortured Takashi!” Adam exclaims.

“How do you know this for sure?” Keith wonders.

“That’s one of the only names Takashi could tell me,” Adam explains. “I’m telling you, Keith. This is the real deal.”

Keith sighs. “And the address?”

Adam shrugs. “You’ll have to go investigate yourself.”

“Do you think we’ll find Matt?”

Adam shrugs again. “It’s possible, but I wouldn’t tell Pidge for sure.”

“And if she asks?”

“Tell her you don’t know.”

“She’ll know I’m lying.”

“I think she’ll appreciate it this time.”

Keith clenches his fists. “What about my mother?”

“I can’t predict the future, Keith,” Adam says with a light chuckle. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Keith nods in thanks at Adam before grabbing the paper and walking back to the meeting room where Lance and the others are. All heads turn to him when he walks in. “I’m hoping Lance filled you in?” Keith wonders with a raised eyebrow.

“He has,” Alfor states. “What is your next move, Kogane?”

“We need to investigate this address,” Keith says, writing it on the board. “It could lead us to the identity of the question mark American man Amelia Kefter told us about, and possibly ID him as the same man Lotor described as having a glass eye.”

“And if it’s a trap?” Hunk wonders.

“I don’t think so,” Keith counters. “Adam told me that Ylvik was one of the only names Shiro could tell him after he was found.”

“Kogane, you lead the team there,” Alfor instructs. “No funny business, understood? Katherine and I will accompany but stay out of the way in the monitoring vehicle.”

“Yessir,” Keith says with a nod.

Pidge’s eyes widen. “Sir, you want me to come? I rarely go in the field.”

“If they have any computer systems set up, I want all of the information inside them,” Alfor explains. “You’re the only one with the skillset to do it in a timely manner.”

Pidge nods. “Okay.”

Keith, Ezor, Lance, and Hunk make their way to the garage with Alfor and Pidge. Alfor contacts S.W.A.T. to meet them there while Pidge preps the monitoring vehicle. As Hunk and Lance argue on what guns to take, Keith walks over to Pidge. “Hey, how are you holding up?” he wonders.

“I’ve been calmer,” Pidge replies. “Do you think we’ll find Matt or Krolia?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Keith answers.

Pidge smiles at him then hugs him tightly. “Thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything,” Keith says.

“Yes, you did,” Pidge counters. “I appreciate it, Keith.”

Something crashes over by the SUV followed by a shout from Hunk. “Dammit, Lance!  _ I’m _ the weapons expert!”

“Yeah, well,  _ I _ am the one who wants  _ my _ Shadow!” Lance exclaims.

Keith waves goodbye to Pidge then walks over to them. “Guys, we gotta go. What’s the issue?”

“Lance thinks I’m incompetent at my job!” Hunk exclaims.

“Not true!” Lance yells.

“Enough!” Keith scolds. “Hunk, just let him bring the gun he wants. You get to choose for Ezor, yourself, and me. Alright? Alright!”

Hunk and Lance exchange a glare before loading the rest of the guns up and hopping in the SUV. Since they were arguing, Ezor claimed the passenger’s seat while Keith drives. Lance complains about it, but when Keith asks him if he’s going to complain the whole way there, he shuts up.

When they arrive at the address Trugg gave, they find it’s an abandoned warehouse in one of the deserted areas just outside the city. Everyone gets out and suits up with their vests and guns.

“Alright, listen up! For all we know this could be a trap,” Keith says as Hunk puts a camera on his vest so Pidge and Alfor can monitor him. “Hunk will lead with his sensor followed immediately by Ezor and myself. Lance, you head to that building across the street and set up as our protection from above.”

Lance nods. “I got your back.”

Keith motions for everyone to move out and S.W.A.T. surrounds the building while Keith, Ezor, Hunk, and two other S.W.A.T. team members make their way inside. They each take out a weapon. Hunk grabs a Benelli M4, Keith grabs a M4 Carbine, Ezor takes her CAR-15, and Lance walks off with his CDX-40 Shadow. Hunk pulls up his sensor, detecting anything suspicious.

So far, nothing comes up. “ _ Blue, are you in position? _ ” Pidge asks through the coms. “ _ Red, gold, and pink’s cameras are functioning _ .”

“ _ Almost there _ ,” Lance replies. A few seconds pass before he speaks again. “ _ The sky is blue with eyes on red, pink, and gold _ .”

“See anything?” Keith asks quietly, keeping his gun pointed in front of him.

“ _ Negative. It’s oddly still in there _ ,” Lance replies. “ _ I don’t like this at all _ .”

“Do you see  _ any _ movement?” Ezor wonders.

“ _ No, it’s like they abandoned ship _ ,” Lance shares.

Keith stops in his tracks while Hunk and the S.W.A.T. members continue forward. “They knew we were coming! Trugg must’ve tipped them off,” he says.

“ _ I’m not sure it was her. The information she gave _ —” Lance starts.

“Guys! Up here!” Hunk exclaims.

Keith and Ezor exchange a shocked expression then run up to where Hunk is. His jaw drops when he looks around. Monitors are set up all along the walls, but none are active. The back wall is covered with pictures of the team—some very recent. They go as far back as them going to the mall for the Christmas bomber case and as recent as Keith and Lance screwing around with snowballs in the hospital parking lot.

“They’be been  _ watching us _ ?!” Keith demands.

Ezor points to a section on the wall. “Are those pictures from inside the church at Kiara’s funeral?”

Keith rubs his forehead as Hunk rips one down to look at it. “Those fuckers were  _ there _ ?!”

Keith begins sifting through the papers on the table. “I remember seeing some of these names back when I was an officer here in New York,” Keith shares. “We thought they were just gang members, but clearly we were wrong. This is bigger than we thought.”

“So, Ylvik is part of this big U.S. gang?” Hunk wonders.

“I guess so!” Keith exclaims.

“Oh my god…” Ezor trails off, covering her mouth in shock.

“ _ Matthew! It’s Matt! _ ” Pidge exclaims through the coms.

Keith walks over to Ezor and gasps. He sees Matt Holt’s body chained to the ground. Keith kneels down next to him and checks for a pulse, sighing in relief when he feels one. “He’s alive. Get medical in here, now.” He notices a piece of paper on his chest with the words  _ Keith Kogane _ written on it. He takes the note off Matt and opens it.

“What’s it say?” Ezor wonders.

“ _ The next time you get to one of ours, you’ll find your mother’s dead corpse. Back off _ ,” Keith reads.

Suddenly, Matt stirs away, and his eyes widen when he sees Keith. “K-Keith?”

“Matt, just hold on. Medics are coming,” Keith says as he motions for Hunk to come undo the chains.

“I-I have t…to tell you…something,” Matt whispers.

“What? What is it?” Keith asks.

“Y-your mother…Krolia…is…” Matt begins to fade in and out of consciousness.

“What about her?!” Keith demands. “Matthew!”

Matt’s eyes shut, and he slumps over as Hunk gets the final chain off him.

“Matt! Matt!” Keith exclaims.

Ezor pulls Keith away as medics come to get him. “Keith, let him go. He’ll be able to tell you when he’s all patched up.”

Keith nods then straightens up as Alfors voice sounds through the coms. “ _ We will send forensics to sweep the place in a timely manner. S.W.A.T. has declared the building abandoned. We will head back to D.C. now. Good work, everyone. _ ”

 

* * *

_ Christmas Eve _

* * *

 

Keith stops before exiting Shiro’s office, turning back to Adam. “Hey, uh, can I ask you something?” he wonders.

Adam looks up from the paper he was reading. “Go for it.”

“It has to stay between us,” Keith says.

Adam sets aside the paper and nods. “Okay, it will. What’s up?”

Keith sighs. “When did you know you were in love?”

Adam chuckles. “Damn, Keith. How much have you changed internally since I last saw you?”

“You wouldn’t recognize me.”

Adam studies Keith’s face for a moment then smiles slightly. “Is it Lance?”

Keith sighs and hangs his head. “Yes.”

“How long?”

“How long have I been in love with him or how long have I known?” Keith asks, looking back up at Adam.

Adam sits back in his chair. “We’ll start with when you became aware.”

“Halloween,” Keith states firmly. “He was drunk so he couldn’t drive himself home, so I took him home on my motorcycle back to his house. I had to help undress him, and he kept whispering things in my ear. One of the things I can’t get out of my head is when he whispered—right up close to my lips might I add— _ Nyma’s never this careful _ . I nearly walked out then and there.”

“But you didn’t,” Adam comments.

“Yeah!” Keith exclaims. “I didn’t!” He angrily takes a seat across from Adam. “Is that so bad? Is it so bad that I wish I could make his pain go away? He sounded so  _ hurt _ like he wanted me to do something! I wanted to kiss him, Adam. I wanted to lay him down on that bed and show him how much better I could be for him instead of that wench. But I can’t!”

“And why not?” Adam wonders.

“Because she makes him happy, and he makes her happy!” Keith huffs in frustration. “I’m not a homewrecker!”

“I didn’t say you were,” Adam clarifies. “Now, back to the other question. How long have you been in love with him?”

“I don’t know,” Keith admits. “That’s why I asked you when you knew you were in love.”

Adam sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “That’s complicated. You don’t know until you  _ know _ .”

Keith furrows his eyebrows. “That makes zero sense.”

“You don’t know until it hurts to see the one you love with someone else,” Adam explains. “When Takashi and I were just starting out as a patient and doctor, whenever I saw him talk to Allura, I got this burning sensation in my chest:  _ jealousy _ . I guess about the third time I got that feeling, I took a step back and asked myself why I was feeling like that. I didn’t like the answer I gave myself, but that’s when I knew.”

Keith snickers. “You actually thought Allura and Shiro would be a thing? Did you ever see her interact with Lotor?”

Adam rolls his eyes. “Ha, ha, make fun all you want, Keith. Yeah, once I saw those two together, I realized I was an idiot. Anyway, back to you. When did you feel something like that?”

Keith ponders the thought for a moment. It definitely wasn’t when they first met. Keith wanted nothing to do with Lance because what gave Shiro the right to give him a shrink? After that he warmed up to Lance, but he didn’t really feel anything towards him. It wasn’t until Lance met Nyma he started to feel angry when they interacted—

Oh.

His eyes widen in realization.

“I take it you found your answer?” Adam guesses.

“Yeah! After the Christmas bomber case back in December of last year! Nyma kept flirting with him and I felt myself getting angry about it,” Keith shares. “But I had only known him for barely four months!”

“The heart works in mysterious ways, Keith. It might’ve not been love you were feeling, but you definitely had feelings for him,” Adam says.

“Then when did I fall in love with him?!” Keith demands.

“If it helps, I realized I was in love with Takashi after I watched him get shot. Then again, we had already hooked up a few times before then, but that’s beside the point,” Adam says.

Keith rolls his eyes. “You two are a hot mess, but I think I see where you’re coming from. I almost lost Lance when he was buried alive underground. I was ready for whatever it took to get him out, and when we finally found him, I felt relieved. But he had already gotten together with Nyma.”

“As I said before, the heart works in mysterious ways,” Adam repeats with a smile. “Did this help?”

“Yeah…thanks. Why are psychologists easy to talk to?” Keith wonders.

Adam shrugs. “I don’t know, but clearly Lance is one of the best because the old Keith would not have had the balls to open up about this to me.”

“Yeah, well, the old Keith’s only motivation to keep going was to find his mother,” Keith reveals with a sigh.

“And now? What about the new Keith?” Adam asks.

“And now…” Keith shrugs. “I’m not sure what he wants.” He looks at Adam hopefully. “Is that normal?”

“To not know what you want? Keith, you’re young!” Adam exclaims. “It’s perfectly okay not knowing what you want right now. Hell,  _ I _ don’t even know what. Being thrown back in with Takashi has really shaken me up. I never thought I’d see him again.”

“He’s changed too, you know,” Keith shares. “He doesn’t go out in the field as much anymore. In fact, he rarely does. He keeps hinting that he wants me to take over his job when he’s done. This case was a test run for Director Alfor, and I think they both liked the results.”

“Really? Takashi didn’t tell me that,” Adam says. He pauses for a moment. “He asked me out to dinner tonight, but I turned him down. I told him I don’t think I’d be sticking around much longer.”

“Call him right now,” Keith orders. “It’s almost Christmas, and neither of you should be alone.”

“And if old flames reignite?” Adam asks.

Keith thinks of what Lance would say. He picks up Adam’s phone off the table and hands it to him. “Then the candle still has wax to burn. Plus, if I can’t have the guy I want, you should get yours.”

Adam smiles and takes the phone. “Thank you, Keith.”

“No problem.” Keith stands up. “We could use your help on cases. I don’t think we would’ve solved this one without you.”

“I don’t know…” Adam trails off unsurely.

“Having you and Lance on the team would mean that nobody could get away with murder,” Keith adds.

“But somebody just did get away with murder,” Adam states.

“For now, but we don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle yet. We’ve got that mystery American, and who knows who The Emperor is,” Keith lists.

Adam nods. “True, true…okay, I’ll think about it and see what Takashi has to say. Thanks again, Keith.”

Keith nods and waves goodbye as Adam starts calling Shiro. He reaches the doorknob but pauses to listen to Adam.

“Hey, Takashi. I actually am still in town,” Adam says. “Usual place?”

Adam pauses then smiles widely. “See you then.”

Keith shuts the door and smiles to himself as he walks to his desk to collect his thing. He leaves the building, gets on his motorcycle, and heads home.

 

* * *

 

Keith’s at his apartment, getting ready to put a frozen pizza in the oven when someone knocks at the door. He sets the pizza on the tray, wipes his hands off, and goes to open the door. He opens it and sees Lance standing there with his big coat on and snow on him—clearly just coming from outside. Keith furrows his eyebrows. “Aren’t you supposed to be picking your family up?”

“They haven’t landed yet. It’s a shitstorm outside, and your apartment is close to the airport, so I thought I’d stop by and see what you’re up to,” Lance shares with a smile.

Keith chuckles and steps aside so Lance can come in. “I already told you, I’m staying here. I was going to watch a movie and eat a pizza.” He points to the frozen pizza on the stove.

Lance unzips his jacket and rolls his eyes. “Which is ridiculous! You should be spending it with the ones you love! Keith, honestly.”

“I’m okay, Lance. Pidge is in Florida with her family. Hunk flew with Shay to California to visit her family. Shiro and Adam are together. Allura’s with her family—I’m fine! Christmas isn’t really that special to me anyway,” Keith says. “I have a lot of bad memories.”

“What about the ones you celebrated with your mom before she disappeared?” Lance wonders.

Keith shrugs then continues to prepare the pizza. “I don’t think about those because they hurt the most.”

“Okay, well, if my mama found out that I let my partner spend another Christmas alone, she’d string me up on the Christmas tree instead of the lights,” Lance states. “You’re coming back to my house with me, and you’re celebrating Christmas with my family and me.”

“I don’t want to intrude on your—”

“You’re not! I swear! I want you there, Keith. Plus, your present is waiting for you at my house.”

“Did you not bring it just to have an excuse to bring me to your house for Christmas?”

Lance huffs and crosses his arms. “Yes, and if you had come on your bike, you wouldn’t be able to take it home!”

“I do have a car too, you know.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“My mom and I were fixing it up before she disappeared. When I got older, I worked on it and now it works,” Keith explains.

“How handy are you?!” Lance demands.

“Very.”

Lance chuckles and shakes his head. “I learn something new about you each day. Anyway, pack a bag, get changed, and let’s go to the airport to wait for my family!”

“But my pizza—”

“I swear to God if we’re late, my mama will murder the both of us,” Lance says.

“Fine!” Keith angrily puts the pizza back in the freezer. “Just give me a minute.” He finishes cleaning up the kitchen then heads into his bedroom. He pulls out a duffle bag and puts some clothes into it, other necessities, then zips it up. Keith shuts the lights off and heads back into the main area. “Okay, I’ve got a bag packed. Let’s—” He pauses when he sees Lance looking at the pictures on his mantle. Lance picks up one of Keith hitting a baseball in his high school baseball uniform. “Snoop much?”

Lance chuckles. “Just looking around.”

“You’ve got that shrinky look on your face whenever we’re in a suspect’s or victim’s house,” Keith comments. “You’re building a profile.”

“Oh, Ruby Red, you know I already have a profile on you. I can read you like the back of my hand!” Lance exclaims.

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Then what’s with the look?”

Lance puts the baseball picture down and picks up the picture they took at Lance’s birthday party in Big Rapids. In the picture, Lance has a huge smile on his face and has his arm around Keith while Keith is smiling fondly at Lance. “You’ve got a picture of us two, you and Pidge, you and Hunk, and then of the group at Allura’s Halloween party.”

Keith tilts his head. “So?”

“These pictures of just you and one other person represent that you’ve put your complete trust and faith into that person,” Lance explains. He gestures to the one of Keith and Pidge at her eighteenth birthday party, then to the one of Keith and Hunk wearing matching Christmas sweaters at Allura’s Christmas party that same year. “The one with Pidge looks like it’s the oldest, followed by one of you and Hunk, and then you and me.”

Keith blinks then shakes his head. “Does your shrinky side have an off switch?”

Lance laughs. “I’ll take that as  _ you’re right Lance and you’re the greatest psychologist to ever walk the earth _ !”

Keith smirks. “Well…Adam’s pretty good too.”

Lance’s smile falters slightly.

“But you did manage to fix me, so I guess that does make you the best,” Keith adds quickly.

Lance’s smile returns fully, lighting up the room brighter than any strand of Christmas lights could. “That’s what I like to hear! Now, let’s go get mi familia!”

They walk out of Keith’s apartment, and Keith locks the door before following Lance down to where his car is. Instead of his camaro, he has a larger SUV. “So, who are we all picking up?”

“My mama, papa, and brother Luis with his wife Lisa and kids Nadia and Sylvio,” Lance answers as he gets into the car. “My brother Marco is meeting the rest of us at my house.”

“That’s a lot of people,” Keith comments.

“Just be happy my cousins aren’t joining us. We’re meeting them somewhere else for New Year’s,” Lance says. “You’re welcome to come too.”

“Actually, I hang out with Pidge’s family for New Year’s,” Keith shares.

“Well, look at that! When did that start?” Lance wonders.

“After Pidge forced me to join her and her family,” Keith replies. “They sort of adopted me as another son since they lost Matt, but now that he’s back—actually, I’m not sure anymore.”

“You could text her and ask if they’re still expecting you,” Lance offers as he drives towards the airport. “If she says no, you’re staying with me.”

“Well, obviously she’s not gonna say no,” Keith retorts.

Lance sighs. “Just text her, would you? Tell her you’re staying with my family and me.”

Keith grumbles and pulls out his phone as Lance makes his way to the airport. He pulls up the conversation between him and Pidge.

 

_ Keith: _ _ pidge, i don’t think i’ll be coming to your place for new years _

_ lance invited me to stay with him and his family _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ probably a good move because we’re actually in NY with matt in the hospital _

_ all the roads are supposed to be shitty and i do not want you driving your bike over _

_ nor risking flying because all the flights will definitely be canceled _

 

_ Keith: _ _ thanks for understanding _

_ merry christmas! _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ merry christmas!!! :) _

 

Lance pulls into the airport as Keith puts his phone away. “So, what’d she say?” he wonders.

“Her and her parents are in New York visiting Matt, so she said it was a good plan I stay with you,” Keith answers.

Lance smiles smugly. “I’m always right.”

Keith looks out the window and spots a group of people waiting inside the airport by the large windows. A little girl smiles widely when she sees the car then runs out towards it, yelling something.

“Who—” Keith starts.

“That’s Nadia,” Lance interrupts as he gets out of the car.

Keith follows suit and watches as the little girl comes running up to Lance, jumping into his arms.

“Tío Lance! I missed you!” Nadia exclaims.

“Nadia!” Lance hugs her. “How’s my favorite niece?!”

Nadia crosses her arms. “I’m your  _ only _ niece.”

Keith stifles a laugh, leaning up against the car. “She’s got you there,” he comments.

“Oh, don’t take her side!” Lance exclaims.

“Tío Lance, who’s that?” Nadia wonders, pointing at Keith. “He’s pretty!”

“That’s my partner,” Lance explains. “That’s Keith.”

Nadia gasps then whips her head around to the little boy in the window. “¡SYLVIO! ¡ESO ES KEITH!” she yells.

The little boy, Sylvio, shouts something behind the glass, but Keith can’t hear what he says. One of the adults that Sylvio and Nadia were by tries to snatch Sylvio, but he takes off running outside, sprinting right at Keith.

“Get ready, Mister Wide Receiver,” Lance teases as he sets Nadia down.

Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion, but they rise up in shock when Sylvio leaps into his arms. He manages to catch Sylvio without falling onto the ground. The adult who tried to grab Sylvio storms out. Keith guesses this woman is Lisa, the boy’s mother.

“¡Sylvio! ¡Pare eso ahora mismo! ¡Esa no es manera de comportarse!” she scolds in Spanish.

“¡Pero mama! ¡Es Keith!” Sylvio pleads.

“Disculparse ahora,” Lisa instructs.

Sylvio sighs and looks at Keith. “Lo siento…”

Keith chuckles. “It’s okay, really. I guess high energy runs in the family.”

Lisa sighs. “You have no idea. I’m Lisa by the way, Lance’s sister-in-law.” She holds her hand out for Keith to shake.

Keith holds Sylvio with his left arm and shakes Lisa’s hand with his right. “Nice to meet you, I’m—”

An older woman walks out of the airport lobby with her arms crossed. She looks at Lance sternly. “¡Lance! ¡Ayúdanos con nuestro equipaje!” she instructs. The woman pauses and looks at Keith. “¿Es este el agente Keith del que nos hablaste? Él es muy guapo.”

“Mama…” Lance sighs and puts his face in his hands, embarrassed. This woman must be Lance’s mother, Rosa.

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Muchas gracias, Señora McClain. Eso es muy amable de tu parte,” he replies.

Rosa uncrosses her arms, genuinely surprised Keith replied to her in Spanish. “¿Tu hablas español?”

“Yes, mama! Keith can speak and understand Spanish very well!” Lance exclaims.

“I can see that,” Rosa says. “What a charming boy! Sylvio has already taking a liking into him.”

Sylvio plays with Keith’s hair while Lance goes to help Luis and his father, Nicholas, with the luggage. Nadia runs over to Lisa, Rosa, Sylvio, and Keith.

“So, did Lance force you to join him for Christmas? Last year he told us you usually stayed home,” Lisa says.

“He did because he knew if he left me alone again, his mother would have his head,” Keith shares.

“Very true!” Rosa exclaims.

“Do you have a gun?” Nadia wonders suddenly.

“Nadia!” Lisa scolds.

Keith chuckles. “It’s alright.” He points to his holster. “I do, but it’s not my preferred weapon.”

Sylvio’s eyes widen. “Do you use a sword?!”

Keith laughs loudly. “No, but that would be cool!”

Lisa rubs her forehead, clearly embarrassed by her children’s behavior.

“Lisa, I can watch them if you’d like a little break,” Keith offers.

“Keith, thank you.” Lisa turns to Rosa. “Come on, let’s get in the car.”

As Lisa leads Rosa to the car, Keith looks and sees Lance talking with Luis. They seem to be arguing with each other before Luis puts him in a headlock whilst giving him a noogie. Lance shoves Luis off, shouting something at him before being chastised by Nicholas.

“Do your father and Lance always fight like that?” Keith wonders.

“Daddy always gives tío Lance a hard time,” Sylvio shares.

“He doesn’t like Nyma!” Nadia adds.

Keith looks down at her. “What did you say?”

“Daddy doesn’t like Nyma,” Nadia repeats. “When tío Lance introduced her to us, daddy was rude. He said tío Lance could do better than someone like her.”

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Really? I wonder why.”

Nadia tilts her head. “Do you like Nyma?”

Keith smirks. “Nope.”

“Oh! Don’t tell tío Lance, but I don’t either,” Sylvio whispers.

“Well, do you like me?” Keith wonders.

Sylvio smiles widely. “Yes!”

Before Keith can respond, Lance yells at them. “Keith! Let’s go!”

Keith smiles fondly at Sylvio then turns to Lance. “We’re coming!” He brings Sylvio over to the car, Nadia following behind. Keith helps them into the car before getting into the passenger’s side. Lance drives to his house as Keith pulls out his phone and opens the group chat between himself, Pidge, and Hunk.

 

_ Keith: _ _ so, uh, apparently lance’s family doesn’t like nyma?? _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ !!!! _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ Who told you that? _

 

_ Keith: _ _ lance’s nephew sylvio _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ !!!!!!!!!! _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ Damn! Wait, why are you talking to his nephew? _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ keith’s spending christmas with the mcclains ;) _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ Oh! ;) _

 

_ Keith: _ _ knock it off _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ ;) _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ ;) _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ What does this nephew think of you? _

 

_ Keith: _ _ sylvio and nadia, lance’s niece, both like me _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ ;D _

 

_ Hunk: _ _ Let us know how it goes! Also, Shay says hello! And Merry Christmas! _

 

_ Pidge: _ _ Merry Christmas ya filthy animal(s)! _

 

_ Keith: _ _ merry christmas _

_ see you both after the new year _

 

Keith sets his phone down, smiling to himself.

“Whatcha smilin’ about?” Lance wonders.

“Oh, nothing.” Keith turns to smile at him. “Just happy to be here.”

 

* * *

_ Christmas Day _

* * *

 

“Lance, I swear if you have some elaborate—” Keith starts but stops when Lance whistles.

Keith’s eyes widen as a German Shepherd comes running into the room, stopping when it gets to Keith. “Merry Christmas! She’s a therapy service dog!” Lance exclaims. “You can bring her to the office since she’s got that cute little vest on. Her name is Rey.”

Keith kneels down in front of Rey and holds his hand out. Rey tilts her head then licks Keith’s hand before nudging it with her head, demanding to be loved. Keith exhales and feels himself wanting to cry. “Lance, you didn’t have to do this.” He smiles and scratches Rey behind the ears. “How much did this cost you?”

“That’s a rude question to ask.” Lance begins setting some dog supplies on the counter. “But if you must know, I managed to snag her from a class that meant to go across the country, but she was left behind. She would’ve been put in a shelter, but I couldn’t let that happen. So, I asked if I could give her to someone.”

Keith laughs when Rey licks his chin. “Thank you, Lance. She’s beautiful.” He stands up to look at Lance. “Really, thank you.”

Rey whimpers then walks behind Keith, nudging him in Lance’s direction. Lance grabs Keith’s shoulders to steady him when he almost falls forward. Keith looks at Lance with wide eyes, trying not to get lost in his mesmerizing blue ones. “I-I don’t know what she wants from me,” Keith admits.

“I think she wants you to thank me for such a lovely gift,” Lance says smugly.

Keith rolls his eyes. “Thank you for the amazing gift, Lance. I couldn’t ask for a better partner than you.”

Lance puts his hands on his chest, eyes watering. “Well, now I’m gonna cry! Come here.” He pulls Keith in for a tight hug. “You’re welcome, Ruby Red.”

Keith exhales, allowing himself to enjoy the hug. Rey barks happily from behind them before running into the living room, earning squeals of joy from Nadia and Sylvio.

“PUPPY!”

_ Best Christmas ever _ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not watch Season 8. I do not plan on ever watching that. The only episode I watched was Ryan Kinkade's vlog episode and I love it (aside from the allurance shit...I don't care for that). Anyway, I've claimed the rights to these characters! Klance is canon king and no one can tell me otherwise!
> 
> I have already started working on the next chapter and I hope it'll be up in January! Thanks for sticking around!
> 
> Author's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)


	9. AUTHOR/STORY UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Want some say in how this AU goes? Respond in the comments below!

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all your support and lovely comments on this AU! It's what makes me want to keep writing.

 

The next chapter for this AU is nearly finished and hopefully will be posted within the next few days. However, I need some help in deciding how I should go about the klance aspect of this AU. I will give you two options without giving anything away. If you don't know what one or either of the options is, Google it for yourselves. I won't be able to tell you because that will give things away that I may or may not already have planned. Things for this AU are changing constantly, so that's why I'm asking now as we shift into the next phase of this AU.

 

Option 1: You Win Some and You Lose Some

Keith and Lance get together in the same way Booth and Brennan get together in _Bones_. The team finds out the same way Booth's and Brennan's team find out.

 

Option 2: Short, Sweet, and Sneaky

Keith and Lance get together in the same way Monica and Chandler get together in _Friends_. The team finds out the same way Joey, Rachel, Phoebe, and Ross find out respectively.

 

Please leave your suggestions/answers in the comments below! Feel free to give a reason why as well or if you think there's a way to combine the two, share that with me as well!

 

All the love,

[keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)


	10. Ice Ice Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the discovery of Matthew Holt and Lotor Isola, things slow down for the team as they work to solve the murder of a high school hockey player.
> 
> Well, Keith wishes it slows down, but instead, things go full speed ahead when he finds out that his ex-boyfriend, James Griffin, has returned _and_ the fact that Pidge needs his help with a personal problem.
> 
> Will he be able to juggle it all or will he slip and fall?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so late!
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> PSA: This chapter has not been BETA read. If you are interested in becoming my BETA reader for this AU, please send me an ask on Tumblr!

Keith hums to himself as he gets off his bike, locking it up before walking into the station. He didn’t bring Rey in today because she had a veterinarian appointment, so she’ll be staying there until he gets off work today. Keith waves to a couple agents as he makes his way to the elevator but stops dead in his tracks when a few people walk towards him, one of them being his ex-boyfriend: James Griffin.

He’d recognize that scruffy brown hair, those gray-blue eyes, that permanent resting bitch face anywhere. James used to be a defense attorney here when Keith first started working, but he transferred when they broke up. Things ended messily and Keith hasn’t seen or talked to him since.

Well, up until right now.

They meet each other’s gaze and James freezes too. Keith watches James excuse himself from the other two agents before walking over to Keith. James smiles warmly at Keith, something he used to do. Butterflies flutter in Keith’s stomach, remembering he always enjoyed being the one to bring a smile to that otherwise serious face.

“Keith! Wow, it’s been a while since I last saw you,” James comments.

Keith crosses his arms. “So it has. What brought the devil back to Georgia?”

“They just fired a few prosecutors and asked me to come back over as a prosecutor as well as a defense attorney.” James scratches his head, avoiding Keith’s death glare. “I know we didn’t end on the best of terms, Keith, but I wanted to ap—”

“No, there are no buts. You shattered my heart then left,” Keith interrupts.

Keith turns his attention to the entrance when he spots Lance walk inside. They make eye contact and he starts walking over. Keith looks back at James. “Walk away, Griffin. You’re lucky my partner is walking over otherwise I’d give you another shiner.”

James sighs. “I deserve that, but I am sorry, Keith. I hope we can meet up and talk about things later.”

Just as Lance arrives, James waves goodbye to Keith and walks away. Lance watches James leave then looks at Keith. “Who was that?” he wonders.

“Nobody important,” Keith replies curtly. “Come on, let’s see what Shiro has for us to—”

Keith’s phone rings and he sees it’s Pidge. “He—”

“ _I need your help NOW! I sent you my location, hurry_ ,” Pidge says quickly before hanging up.

Keith looks at Lance with a worried expression. “Pidge is in trouble. I’ll be back.” He turns to leave.

“Wait! I want to come with!” Lance exclaims.

“No. Tell Shiro where I am, and if he has a case, work with Ez until I get back,” Keith instructs.

Lance nods. “Okay. Be careful.”

Keith mock salutes Lance then runs out to the parking garage, opening his phone and looks at Pidge’s location. He sees it’s just a few blocks down, so he decides to head there on foot. Keith runs until the red dot on his phone meets up with Pidge’s green. He opens the texting app and texts Pidge.

Keith walks in the door and heads to the bathrooms in the back. He knocks on the woman’s door. Pidge opens it up, and Keith’s eyes widen to see that she has some bruises on her face and that her clothes are ripped. “What happened?!” he demands.

Pidge yanks him inside then locks the door. “I had to take the bus today because my car wouldn’t start and when I got off the bus, some guy attacked me and tried to rape me, but I got away.”

Keith takes off his leather jacket and hands it to her so she can cover up. “I’m gonna kill whoever did this. Did you get a look at the guy? Do you wanna talk to a sketch artist? I can text Lance—”

“No!” Pidge interrupts. “No one else can know! That’s why I texted you.”

“Pidge—”

“Don’t make me regret this,” Pidge threatens. “Do you have something I can use to cover my face?”

“I think my sunglasses and beanie are in my jacket pockets,” Keith says.

Pidge pulls them out and puts the hat on then the sunglasses. “Thanks. I just have to get back to my office then I can cover up this other stuff.”

“Do you trust me?” Keith asks.

“Of course, that’s why I called you here,” Pidge answers.

“Okay, then I really think we should—”

“Don’t push it.”

“No!” Keith sighs angrily. “We can go to the local PD. The team doesn’t need to know about it.”

Pidge thinks about it for a moment then sighs. “Fine, but I’m gonna need a lawyer who’s impartial to the situation and who won’t tell everyone else.”

“I bet Nyma would do it as a favor,” Keith suggests.

“She’d tell Lance,” Pidge counters.

“Then I can’t think of any—” Keith pauses and remembers seeing James in the lobby of the station. “Actually, I can think of someone.”

Pidge tilts her head. “Who?”

“Someone from my past,” he replies. “I’ll talk to him, don’t worry about it.”

Pidge nods and they walk out of the bathroom together, leaving Starbucks. Keith’s phone rings and he sees it’s Lance. “Hey, Lance,” Keith greets.

“ _Ez and I are on our way to the crime scene_ ,” Lance shares. “ _Do you want to meet us there_?”

“Uh, no. I have something to take care of quickly,” Keith replies. “If they have an ID I can contact the family when I finish.”

“ _Sure, sure. Is everything okay_?” he wonders.

“Don’t worry about it,” Keith says. “Focus on the case, and I will join in when I can.”

“ _Alright, bye_.”

“Bye.” Keith hangs up the phone, and he and Pidge arrive back at the station. He makes sure Pidge is safely on the third floor before pulling out his phone to call Nyma. It rings three times before she answers.

“ _Hello_?” she asks.

“Hi, Nyma. I have a question,” Keith states.

“ _Well, that’s a first_ !” Nyma exclaims. “ _What can I help you with_?”

“You know James Griffin is back, right?”

There’s a pause before a sigh.

“ _Yeah, I’m aware_.”

“Can you tell me where his office is?”

“ _Trying to ignite some old flames, are we_?”

“I’m not afraid to shoot you.”

“ _Right! He’s in office two nineteen, three doors down from Allura_.”

“Thanks.” Keith hangs up and heads to the elevator and presses the second-floor button. It reaches the second floor, and Keith walks down the hallway, looking for office 219. He arrives and hears James inside. Keith takes a deep breath then knocks on the door.

“Come in!” James exclaims from behind the door.

Keith sighs then walks inside.

“What can I help you—” James stops when he sees Keith standing there. “Keith. Is everything okay?”

“No,” Keith replies. “I need your help, but you can’t ask me any questions.”

“Well—I—okay,” James stammers.

Keith nods. “Follow me then.” He leads James out of his office and over to the elevators where they take it to the third floor. They walk into the desk area through the glass doors where Allura is looking at a computer with Hunk. They glance up and their eyes widen when they see Keith with James. Keith ignores them and leads James to Pidge’s office then knocks.

“Who is it?” Pidge asks from behind the door.

“It’s Keith,” Keith answers.

“Are you alone?”

“I have the lawyer here with me.”

James raises an eyebrow at Keith but turns his attention to the door when Pidge opens it. She motions them inside without looking up. Once inside, she shuts the door and looks up, gasping when she sees James. “Keith! What the fuck?!”

“He’s one of the best,” Keith states. “I wouldn’t have brought him if I didn’t think he could do it.”

“Gee, thanks,” James replies sarcastically.

“You don’t get an opinion,” Pidge retorts.

James sighs. “Look, I came here willingly with you, Keith. If you two are gonna act like this the entire time, then I’ll take my services elsewhere.” He heads for the door, but Keith grabs his arm and stops him.

“Sorry, James, please don’t leave,” Keith begs. His heart lurches slightly at the sight of James’s face. Keith’s cheeks flush up, and he looks away from him, back to Pidge. “He’s doing this as a favor. Please be nice to him.”

Pidge rolls her eyes. “Fine! Fine! I’m sorry, James. Thank you for helping.”

James smiles. “It’s not a problem.”

As Keith walks past James, he slips his card into James’s pocket so he’ll have his number. Keith’s hand lingers there, and James looks at Keith with a curious expression. Keith mouths to him: _I owe you one_. He then walks out of Pidge’s office and spots Hunk in the meeting room by the whiteboard on a video call with Ezor, Lance, and Coran. Keith walks in and Hunk, Ezor, and Coran go silent.

“ _Hey, Keith_!” Lance greets through the monitor.

“Hi, Lance,” Keith says. He gives a challenging expression to Ezor, Coran, and Hunk, daring them to say something.

Hunk rises to the challenge. “What were you doing with Griffin?”

“Why is that a concern of yours?” Keith wonders.

“Hmm, I don’t know—oh—maybe because I’m your friend, and he broke your heart and then _left_!” Hunk exclaims.

Keith glares daggers at him. “Is that all? Choose your next words wisely, Tsuyoshi.”

Hunk raises his eyebrows. “Using my full name now, are we?”

“ _Will someone tell me who this Griffin is_?” Lance wonders, interrupting.

“James Griffin,” Hunk says, still glaring at Keith. “He’s a defense lawyer and occasionally a prosecutor who used to date Keith when Keith first became an agent.”

Lance looks at Keith. “ _You never mentioned him in our sessions_.”

“Because he’s irrelevant,” Keith explains.

“Clearly he’s not! He’s back! And you were with him!” Hunk exclaims. “How did you even find him? Stalk someone? _Threaten_ someone?”

Keith crosses his arms “I asked Nyma where his office was.”

Hunk throws his hands up in astonishment. “I’m baffled at your stupidity!”

“I obviously couldn’t have asked Allura!” Keith exclaims.

“Yeah!” Hunk agrees. “Because she knows he’s bad news!”

Lance looks at Ezor and Coran for help. Ezor shrugs. “ _I was never in that section, but I did hear about James Griffin. He’s a ruthless lawyer who doesn’t stop fighting until he gets what he wants. He’s never lost a case_.”

Lance scoffs. “ _Impossible_.”

“ _Just ask Allura who the defense attorney was on the cases she lost_ ,” Coran says.

“ _Let me guess…James_?” Lance asks.

Coran nods.

“What did you even see in that prick?!” Hunk demands.

“His passion for justice and the fact that he’s a very good kisser,” Keith replies. “I could go on and on about what I loved about him. His eyes, his hair, his soft skin, his—”

“His temper?” Hunk interrupts. “The way he only thinks of himself? The fact that he told you that you’d never find your mom? The fact that him breaking you to the point where you pulled away from your _real_ friends and nearly got blown up?!”

Keith slams his hand down on the table. “I GET IT! I have the worst luck when it comes to love! I find toxic people, I find people I can never have—I GET IT! Not everyone can have what you and Shay have!”

Hunk and Keith glare at each other, eyes darting back and forth from each other, the room deathly silent until Adam, Shiro, and Allura walk inside. “Whoa, what’s going on here?” Shiro wonders.

“James Griffin is back,” Allura replies crossing her arms. “Keith was talking to him earlier. Hunk and I saw him.”

“So what if I did! Why do you care?!” Keith demands, turning to yell at her.

“I cannot believe you ever dated that arsehole!” Allura exclaims.

“Right?! He could’ve done so much better!” Hunk agrees.

“ _Well, he’s easy on the eyes_ ,” Ezor comments.

“He is still a gigantic arsehole,” Allura states.

“Maybe if Keith put in a little effort—” Hunk starts.

Keith pulls his arm back to take a swing at Hunk, but Adam grabs him before he can do any harm. “Keith, no,” Adam scolds.

“Do you not know what he did to Keith?!” Allura demands, turning to Ezor.

“ _I would like to know what he did to Keith specifically_ ,” Lance says.

Shiro claps his hands together. “Don’t we have a case to solve? You all aren’t getting paid to gossip about love lives.”

“Aren’t you and Adam back together?” Keith wonders.

Shiro gives Keith a death glare while Adam snickers from behind Keith, turning to Coran, Lance, and Ezor.

“Fill me in now, or I’m finding a new team,” Shiro orders.

“ _I can help with that! The body was found in an ice rink_!” Coran exclaims.

“In? I thought I was told _at_ ,” Shiro says.

“ _It was underneath the ice. The high school team that practices here discovered it when they came in and began skating_ ,” Coran shares.

“Do we have an ID yet? Who has access to the building?” Shiro asks.

“ _They’re still trying to get the body out of the ice_ ,” Lance answers.

“ _And Hunk was finding out who had access_ ,” Ezor adds.

“Have you gone over and _looked_?” Shiro wonders. “Also, why isn’t Pidge doing that?”

“ _Lance refused because he cannot skate_!” Coran pipes up.

Ezor points at her leg. “ _I got a prosthetic_!”

“No one’s seen Pidge all morning,” Hunk adds.

Shiro rubs his forehead and looks at Keith. “You should go over there, now. I still don’t know why you weren’t there in the first place.”

“I’m sorry. Shiro. It won’t happen again,” Keith says.

“It better not,” Shiro retorts before turning back to the screen. “Anyway, Coran, get the body back to the morgue as soon as it’s out of the ice. Ezor, you talk to the team members and coach to ask them if they know anything then once we get an ID, contact the family and come speak to them here. Lance, Keith will join you at the crime scene. Hunk, find who has access to the ice rink. I’m going to ask Pidge why she couldn’t do it herself.”

“No!” Keith blurts out. “You can’t!”

Shiro turns to look at Keith. “And why not?”

“Just—something happened, and you can’t ask me questions,” Keith replies.

Shiro rubs his forehead again, and Adam walks over to him, rubbing his shoulder. “I need to retire. Just do what I asked,” he says with a sigh. He and Adam leave back to Shiro’s office.

“I was ready for Shiro to tear you a new one,” Hunk admits. “Why are you covering for Pidge?”

“Unlike you, she understands my reasons and I understand hers,” Keith retorts curtly. “Accept that and maybe she’ll tell you when she’s ready.”

With that, Keith storms out, brushing past Allura to head to the ice rink. As he gets into one of the SUVs, he gets a text from Lance with the ice rink address. When he arrives, a forensics member approaches him with a pair of skates. “Agent Parisi and Doctor McClain refused skates,” she shares. “Unless you don’t want them either?”

Keith takes them from her. “I’m not a coward like them.” He goes and puts them on himself, then steps onto the ice with ease.

“Keith!” Lance shouts. “What are you—”

He stops talking when Keith easily skates over to where Coran is on a mat with a few other forensics people so they don’t slip while they’re cutting a chunk out of the ice. Keith skates around, watching them work before getting distracted. He smirks and takes a lap around the rink before pretending he’s in his hockey uniform again with a stick in his hands. Keith pretends to skate with an imaginary puck in front of him, building speed to the goal before taking an aggressive slapshot.

“I thought baseball was your moxie!” Lance exclaims.

Keith turns and sees him watching. “I grew up with a lot of anger.” He skates over to him.

“Oh, I know,” Lance comments. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You never asked,” Keith replies. “Besides, I liked baseball better.”

“But you can skate really well!”

Keith shrugs. “I know, but I hit a home run way before I scored my first goal.”

“Keith! The body is out of the ice!” Coran calls over to him.

Keith gives Coran a thumbs up then looks at Lance. “Either get a pair of skates on or walk on the mat over to where everyone else is.”

“But—” Lance starts.

“ _Now_ ,” Keith orders.

Lance huffs angrily and storms over to where the skates are. He puts them on his feet then gingerly steps onto the ice. Lance grips the wall tightly when he slips.

Keith laughs loudly and skates over to him, offering his arm. “Would you like some assistance, madam?

“Oh, sure! Laugh it up, dickhead!” Lance yells. He angrily takes Keith’s arm and shrieks as Keith takes him over to Coran. “TOO FAST!”

“Just shut up and trust me,” Keith says.

He easily guides Lance over to Coran, stopping right before the hole. He steadies Lance when he almost falls into the hole. “Any ID on the victim?” Keith wonders, smirking when Lance’s grip on his arm tightens.

“Not that we can get to,” Coran replies. “I’m having him sent to the morgue where I can melt the ice, but I believe I see a wallet in his pocket. Shay is there waiting.”

Keith narrows his eyes and points at a black square in the ice the victim is in. “What about that?” he wonders.

Coran looks then motions for one of the saws. He cuts out the piece then looks it over. “I believe this is a cell phone.”

“Pidge will have a field day with that,” Lance comments.

“Actually, Tsuyoshi will,” Keith corrects. He motions for an evidence bag from one of the forensic workers and opens it for Coran. “We’ll take this to him and try to get information from it, but have Shay run through missing persons to get an ID or whatever the wallet says.”

“Not needed!” Ezor exclaims from behind them.

Keith and Lance turn around and see her approaching them on the mat. “I thought you were too chicken to come on the ice?”

“I can go get a pair of skates if that means I can cling to your muscular arms like Lance is,” Ezor counters.

“Hey! He’s _my_ support!” Lance yells.

Ezor smiles. “That’s what I thought. Anyway, the victim is Henry Brooke. He’s the star forward of the Saint Albans High School varsity hockey team.”

“Why are we always dealing with murders involved with Catholic schools?” Keith wonders.

“It’s better if you don’t ask questions,” Lance answers.

“Fine.” Keith sighs. “Ezor, contact the family and have them meet at the station. Lance and I have to bring this frozen phone to Tsuyoshi.”

Ezor furrows her eyebrows. “Any reason why you’re not calling him Hunk?”

“I’m very angry with him,” Keith replies.

Ezor nods. “Noted. I’ll see you two back at the station.” She pulls out her phone and walks away to make the call.

Keith and Lance skate off the rink, take their skates off, and make their way to Keith’s SUV. Once inside the car, Lance turns to Keith. “Are you going to be mad at Hunk for the entire case?”

“Yeah, why?” Keith wonders, driving towards the station.

“You two are friends,” Lance states. “Why would you let James Griffin come between you two? What’s so important that you can’t be honest with one of your closest friends? What’s so important that you can’t be honest with me?”

“Lance, it’s not my place to tell,” Keith replies. “I would if I could, but Pidge made me promise not to say anything.”

Lance sighs. “Does it have to do with investigating Krolia’s disappearance?”

“Why would you even ask that? I made a promise to you I wouldn’t keep that from you anymore,” Keith says. “Do you not trust me?”

“No, no. I _do_ trust you! I’m just—I just worry about you,” Lance shares. “I don’t want to deal with you getting kidnapped again.” He turns and looks out the window.

Keith sighs but doesn’t press the conversation further. He pulls into the parking garage, then he leads Lance inside. They get into the elevator and go to the third floor. Keith watches James walk into Pidge’s office before turning right to Hunk’s office. Inside, he and Lance find him playing tug-a-war with Rey. “Shay dropped her off?” Keith wonders.

Rey’s ears perk up when she hears Keith’s voice. She barks happily and runs up to him, plopping down in front of him. Her tongue is out, and her tail is wagging.

“Hi! Hi! Hi!” Keith exclaims. “How’s my favorite girl doing?!” He kneels down and pets her, scratching her behind the ears and kissing her head. “I hope Tsuyoshi hasn’t corrupted you to hate me.”

“Still not using the nickname you gave me?” Hunk wonders.

“You’ve lost that privilege,” Keith retorts.

“Wow, so, you’ll ignore the guy who was there for you, but you’ll talk to the guy who made you suffer?” Hunk shakes his head. “That’s messed up.”

“Actually, you’re making me suffer right now,” Keith counters.

“Guys, can we please stop fighting?” Lance takes the evidence bag out of Keith’s hand. The ice on the phone has started to melt. “This is the victim’s cell phone. Can you try to power it up and recover any information from it?”

Hunk takes it from him and looks it over. “I’ll see what I can do, but you know this isn’t my specialty, right? This is Pidge’s department.”

“Just take care of it, would you? Goodness.” Keith stands up angrily and walks out of the room, Rey following closely behind him. A few agents wave at Rey and coo at her, but she does her job and ignores them, focusing solely on Keith.

When Keith arrives where the desks, Shiro’s office, Lance’s office, and the meeting room are, he spots Henry Brooke’s family, Henry’s parents and brother, inside. Keith opens the door for Rey then walks in after her, holding it for Lance when he comes. “Hi, sorry to keep you waiting,” Keith says. “I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is my partner, Doctor Lance McClain.” He and Lance take a seat.

“I’m Blake Brooke and this is my wife, Nancy, and youngest son, Lucas,” the father shares.

Rey walks up to the brother and nudges him lightly. “May I pet her?” he wonders.

Keith smiles and nods. “Yes, of course.”

The boy smiles widely and begins scratching Rey behind the ears.

“We’re terribly sorry for your loss,” Lance says. “Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt him?”

“No, Henry was such a good kid!” Blake exclaims. “His classmates and teachers adored him, and he was the star player on the hockey team!”

“Was my son really found in the ice at the rink the team practices at?” Nancy wonders.

Blake shoots her a warning glare, and she shrinks back. Keith and Lance exchange a knowing expression before looking back at the family. “When did you last see your son?” Keith wonders, pulling out his notepad.

“Two nights ago,” Blake replies. “He was staying over at a friends house for the weekend.

Keith writes the information down. “Were you in contact with him?”

“We got the occasional text about where he was going,” Blake says. “I’m not sure where he was last. I don’t know why he would be at the rink.”

“Did they have a big game coming up?” Lance wonders.

Lucas perks up. “Yeah! The semifinals!”

Lance smiles at Lucas then looks back at the parents. “Is it possible he went there to get some extra practice in?”

Blake shrugs. “I guess so, but usually the players aren’t allowed in there without their coach’s supervision.”

“Has Henry talked about any problems at school or anywhere else?” Keith asks.

“I haven’t heard anything,” Blake answers. “He gets good grades and doesn’t seem to have any issues with his classmates.”

“It’s high school, Mister Brooke, there are always problems,” Keith states.

“Not with Henry,” Blake denies. “If that’s all, we have a funeral to plan.” He stands up, pulling his wife up with him. Lucas stands after petting Rey for a few more seconds.

Keith and Lance stand up too. “Thanks for coming in. If you can think of anything else, don’t be afraid to call.” Keith hands Nancy his card, but Blake takes it before she can.

“Thank you, agents,” Blake says before leading his family out.

Once out of the meeting room, Keith shakes his head. “I don’t like the father. Did you see how timid his wife was around him?”

“I did,” Lance replies. “You think he abuses her?”

Keith shrugs. “Wouldn’t surprise me. Now, we should—” He stops talking when James walks into the room.

“Keith? Could you come with me please?” he asks.

Lance raises his eyebrows in suspicion. “We’re in the middle of a murder investigation. Can it wait?”

James opens his mouth to reply, but Keith faces Lance. “Actually, I’m gonna go help him. Go see if Hunk found anything from the phone.”

“But—” Lance starts.

“Just do it!” Keith exclaims before following James out, holding the door for Rey.

James leads Keith to Pidge’s office and opens the door for him and Rey. Pidge turns and smiles when she sees Keith and Rey. “Yes! Okay, I need help,” she says.

“With?” Keith wonders as he sits down next to her.

“I’m trying to get into the cameras at a gas station near where I was attacked to look for the assailant,” Pidge explains.

“What?! I thought you were going to the local PD to have them help!” Keith exclaims.

“We were, but Pidge didn’t want to remember the guy’s face wrong so she’s trying to find him on the camera feed,” James says.

“No one requested access to it!” He looks at Pidge. “You can’t just hack into the feed, Pidge!”

“That’s what I told her!” James exclaims.

Rey whimpers from the floor, not enjoying the arguing. She sits up and walks over to Keith, brushing up against him. Keith pets her while still looking at James. “Did you forget how to do your job? She can’t be doing that!”

James crosses his arms. “Don’t accuse me of being incompetent! She’s the one who doesn’t listen!”

Keith opens his mouth to argue, but James is right. Pidge listens to no one.

“If you boys are done squabbling, I couldn’t get access to the cameras,” Pidge interjects. “It’s on a private server that I don’t have time to hack into. Keith, James, you’ll have to go to the gas station and request access yourselves.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m not working this case! You were supposed to go to local PD!” Keith shakes his head. “You said you didn’t want the team involved! I’m already in enough hot water with Hunk and Allura as is.”

“You’re not making out with James in a closet, so who gives a shit what they think?!” Pidge demands.

“I’ve been lying to them all day about this! Sooner or later they’re going to figure it out,” Keith says. “If you don’t tell them by the end of this murder case, I will. Are we clear?”

Pidge gasps. “But, Keith,  you promised!”

“They are our _friends_!” Keith shouts. “Do you really think they’re going to judge you?!”

Pidge crosses her arms. “I don’t know.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “Unbelievable! You have that little faith in them?”

“Since when are _you_ the one with all the faith?” Pidge wonders. “You don’t trust anybody!”

“That was the old me, Katherine!” Keith seethes. “I’m a changed man. What do you think happens during my sessions with Lance? Do you think I’m just ogling over him in there?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m not!”

Pidge and James give him unamused expressions.

Keith points at James. “Oh, you shut the fuck up, James! If I had just been doing that, I wouldn’t be trying to convince Pidge otherwise!”

“Just please get me access to the camera feeds.” Pidge rubs her forehead.

“I have a murder to solve!” Keith exclaims.

“I could have been _raped_ !” Pidge yells. “Or _killed_ ! Then you’d be solving _my_ murder! And who’s to say this guy won’t try again with me or someone else! Or maybe he’s already killed someone else! Just do it, Keith! God!”

Keith yells in frustration and stands up. “God, you spoiled _brat_!”

Rey barks, stepping on his foot with her paw before pointing towards the door with her nose. Keith follows Rey towards the door, and he leaves angrily. James hurries out after, shutting the door gently behind him. He opens his mouth to say something, but he closes it when Lance and Ezor approach him and Keith.

“Local PD is here with their thoughts on the case—sorry, are you two going somewhere?” Lance wonders.

“James asked for my input on a case he’s trying to close up,” Keith lies. “So, I’m helping him out. Just meet with them without me.”

“No, Shiro will kill you if you’re not at that meeting,” Lance says.

“He’ll have to catch me first! This won’t take long,” Keith assures him. He whistles at Rey and points at Lance, signaling her to stay with him then shoves Rey’s rope toy into Lance’s hand. “Go.”

“But—” Lance starts.

“I’m not in the mood to argue!” Keith exclaims. “Just go!”

Keith storms off, James following closely behind. Rey whimpers after Keith before looking at Lance expectantly. Lance rolls his eyes. “I wish he stayed too, but we don’t always get what we want.”

Ezor scratches Rey behind the ears. “Come on, we better go in there so Shiro doesn’t kill us either.”

Lance and Ezor walk into the meeting room where Shiro, Adam, and Hunk are with the two officers. Shiro furrows his eyebrows when he sees Rey but doesn’t see Keith. “Where’s Keith?” he wonders.

“James apparently asked for his input on a case. He sent Ezor and me here instead,” Lance shares, tossing the rope onto the floor for Rey to play with in the corner.

Shiro rubs his forehead. “If he keeps this up, he’ll be out of a job.”

“Takashi,” Adam says gently, “you don’t mean that.”

“I will if this continues,” Shiro states firmly. He turns to the officers. “My apologies that the lead agent isn’t here to speak with you. Doctor Lance McClain and Special Agent Ezor Parisi will speak with you.”

One of the officers shakes his head. “It’s quite alright. If Agent Kogane sent them in his place, they must be more than qualified.

Shiro nods and leaves with Adam while Ezor and Lance sit across from them.

“I’m officer Matthew Watkins and this is officer Jeremy Jackson,” the officer that spoke to Shiro says.

Lance smiles. “It’s nice to meet you.” He clears his throat. “So, what are your thoughts on this case?”

“We’ve dealt with several domestic disturbances from the Brooke family,” Jeremy shares. “The father has a temper.”

“He probably killed the son,” Matthew adds.

“May I see the reports?” Lance requests.

Jeremy nods and slides him a few files.

“We talked to the family earlier, and the father seemed genuinely upset about his father’s death,” Ezor says. “He was the one who spoke.”

“That’s Blake Brooke for you,” Jeremy sighs.

“None of these reports say he got physical,” Lance comments, flipping through them.

“That’s correct, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did hit his wife,” Matthew says. “The neighbors call to complain about the yelling.”

“So, the wife doesn’t report anything,” Lance concludes. “Does he abuse the other children?”

“Lucas Brooke is Blake’s pride and joy!” Matthew exclaims. “I doubt he would harm him in any way.”

Ezor raises an eyebrow. “You certainly know a lot about the family.”

“His daughter is in Lucas’s class,” Jeremy shares.

Lance closes the file and slides them back. “Thank you, I think we have plenty of information to work with. We will call if we need any more help.” He stands and shakes their hands. Ezor does the same then the officers head out.

Once they’re gone, Hunk sighs and shuts his laptop. “Keith should’ve been here for that. He’s got some first-hand experience on an abusive father.”

“Well, he’s not so we have to make do with what we’ve got,” Lance states. “Ez, you and I will head to the Brooke household and—” He stops talking when he sees Keith and James walk back into the station, bickering.

Keith shoves something at James then points at Pidge’s office before storming away. James grabs Keith’s arm to stop him, saying something to him with a concerned expression. Keith pulls his arm away and makes his way towards the meeting room. He walks inside and looks around. “Did the officers leave?” Keith wonders. He scratches Rey behind the ears when she stands up to greet him.

“You just missed them,” Lance shares.

“Fine, what’s next?” Keith asks, crossing his arms.

“If you were here, maybe you’d know,” Hunk comments, irritated.

“Not now, Tsuyoshi,” Keith scolds.

Hunk raises an eyebrow. “Still angry with me, Kogane?”

“You wanna be cut off again?!” Keith demands. “I’m very good at cutting people out of my life.”

“Are you?” Hunk wonders. “You’re fraternizing with Griffin.”

“And I’m not with you.” Keith turns to Lance. “Fill me in?”

Lance sighs. “Ez and I were going to head to the victim’s house to talk with the parents again. Apparently, the father is abusive towards his wife—you were right—and we were thinking he could be abusive towards Henry as well.”

“What about the other son?” Keith asks.

“According to the local PD, Lucas Brooke is Blake Brooke’s pride and joy,” Ezor shares. “We don’t think he’d hurt Lucas.”

“Great!” Keith exclaims. “Let’s go.”

“Don’t you have to go make out with Griffin in a broom closet?” Hunk asks.

Keith glares at him. “I’d yell at you, but the satisfaction of knowing you’ll feel like shut after you find out why I’ve been hanging around him is enough to keep me at peace.”

Hunk scoffs. “Nothing could make me feel bad about that.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Uh, anyway,” Ezor interrupts. “Keith, I’m actually gonna head to the morgue to see if Coran found anything else on the victim or about him. We should also work an angle that perhaps the father didn’t kill him.”

“If Coran found evidence of abuse, Blake is guilty,” Keith says firmly.

“No, Ezor’s right,” Lance counters. “We can’t jump to conclusions.”

“I’m not saying she shouldn’t go to the morgue. I’m just saying that I’m jumping to conclusions that it’s the father,” Keith explains. “You two can stay open-minded.”

Lance rubs his forehead. “No use arguing! Ez, text us if Coran tells you anything.”

“Will do. I’m just gonna update Shiro then head out.” She salutes then walks to Shiro’s office.

Keith opens his mouth to tell Hunk that he’s in charge of Rey, but he speaks before he can. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll watch her.”

Keith nods at him then follows Lance to the parking garage and gets into one of the SUVs. Keith gets in the driver’s side, and Lance gets in the passenger’s side, then Keith starts driving to the Brooke household. They sit in silence for the first few minutes before Lance breaks it. “So, what were you and James Griffin arguing about?” he wonders.

“Is this an interrogation?” Keith asks.

Lance chuckles. “It can be if you don’t answer the question.”

Keith sighs, wondering if he should tell Lance the truth. He promised Pidge he wouldn’t tell anyone about what happened to her until after they solved the case, but he hates lying to Lance; however, breaking a promise is something he hates more. He decides to tell Lance the partial truth.

“He wants to catch up, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to confront those feelings and emotions again,” Keith shares. “After he dumped me and left for California, I was in a really dark place.”

“I know, but if it didn’t happen, we would’ve never become partners,” Lance states.

Keith furrows his eyebrows. “Are you trying to tell me that James breaking me was a good thing?”

“Well, no, but everything happens for a reason.” Lance pauses. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I-I’m just not ready right now,” Keith admits.

“I’ll be here when you are.” Lance gives Keith a reassuring smile as they arrive at the Brooke house. When they get out of the car and approach the front door, they hear something smash on the ground and a scream.

“Dammit, woman! I told you I wanted it seasoned!” Blake yells from within the house. They hear a slap and a loud thud.

Keith and Lance exchange a worried expression and pull their guns out. As Keith gets ready to kick open the door, they hear a shot go off. Keith kicks open the door, and they hurry inside to find Blake with a gun pointed at Nancy.

“FBI!” Keith exclaims. “Mister Brooke, put the gun down, now.”

“I swear to god I’ll blow your brains out, you bitch!” Blake yells.

“Blake, let’s talk about this,” Lance says slowly.

Blake turns and aims the gun at Lance. “I’ll shoot your brains out too!”

“Over my dead body,” Keith growls. “Shoot him and I shoot you.”

Footsteps hurry down the stairs and a voice sounds from behind Keith. “Dad? What are you doing?” Lucas wonders.

“Lucas, go back upstairs,” Blake instructs.

“Do you really want to do this in front of your favorite son? Is this how you want him to think of you?” Lance wonders. “Blake, do the right thing here.”

“The right thing is shooting my useless wife and then you!” Blake yells.

Blake’s finger begins to move on the trigger to shoot Lance. Keith moves to jump in front of Lance, but Lance fires his gun first, hitting Blake in the shoulder. Blake yells in agony and drops the gun. Nancy stands up and rushes over to Lucas, shielding him from Blake.

“Lance, call medical. We’ll interrogate him at the hospital,” Keith says before turning to Nancy and Lucas, putting his gun away. “Do you have someone to stay with?”

Nancy nods.

“Alright, go pack a bag for the both of you and head there now. I’m sorry you had to see that,” Keith says.

“No, don’t apologize!” Nancy exclaims. “I-I should be thanking you.” She grabs Keith’s hand and shakes it. “Thank you, Agent Kogane, thank you.”

Keith gives her a small smile. “My father was abusive, and I wasn’t able to do anything about it. Helping you and your son escape your abuser gives me closure.”

Nancy nods and smiles at Keith before taking Lucas upstairs so they can pack. Medics arrive and take Blake into the ambulance. Keith looks at Lance. “You okay?”

“I saw you move towards me when Blake showed he was going to shoot,” Lance shares. “I don’t need you taking bullets for me, Keith. I’ve been in battle. I’ve seen things. I’ve been shot before—granted, you have more scars than I do, but that’s because you make poor decisions.”

Keith crosses his arms. “Taking a bullet for my partner isn’t a poor decision.”

Lance laughs. “It is when your partner is a skilled sniper and psychologist who also knew Blake was going to shoot and was ready for it.” He smiles at Keith. “Besides, _I’m_ the knight in shining armor. _I’m_ Sir Lancelot.” Lance pats Keith’s shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere, Keith. That’s a promise. Come on, let’s head over to the hospital to interrogate Blake. He won’t need surgery from where I hit him, so we should be able to see him right away.”

They walk outside to the car then head to the hospital.

“Even if Blake didn’t kill his son—” Lance starts.

“He did,” Keith interjects.

“—we’ll still be able to charge him with domestic abuse,” Lance finishes.

Keith grunts. “I still think he’s good for murder. We can get Allura to also charge him with attempted murder on Nancy.”

“Right…Keith, are you okay? You’re really set on having Blake be the murderer,” Lance states.

Keith scoffs. “I think you know the answer to that question.”

“I just wanted to hear you say it,” Lance admits.

Keith doesn’t reply to that as they continue to drive to the hospital. His phone rings and he sees it’s Ezor. He answers and puts it on speaker phone. “Hey, Ez. You’re on speaker,” Keith says.

“ _Hey, so I’m still at the morgue with Coran, and getting the ice off the body is proving more difficult than anticipated_ ,” Ezor shares. “ _I don’t have anything to help you with your interrogation with Blake Brooke. I’m sorry._ ”

“Maybe Hunk found something on the victim’s phone?” Lance offers. “We should stop back at the station.”

“I’d rather not speak to him,” Keith states.

“ _Well, if you want this murder to be solved, suck it up. You and Hunk have been friends for years. Get over your own ego and deal with it_ ,” Ezor says bitterly. “ _I know I haven’t been on this team as long as you guys, but this is ridiculous_.”

Something crashes on the other end of the line.

“ _Ezor! I figured something out! Come give me a hand!_ ” Coran exclaims.

“ _I gotta go. I don’t think we’ll get anything ‘till tomorrow. Can the hospital hold Blake overnight?_ ” Ezor wonders.

“I’ll text the agent there to let the doctors know,” Keith says. “Thanks anyway.”

He hangs up the phone and sighs, handing the phone to Lance. “Text Agent Davids and tell her the situation.” Keith turns the car around and begins driving back to the station.

Keith pulls into the parking lot and parks, leading Lance inside the building. They make their way up to where the desks and meeting room. Lance splits off for his office to take a phone call while Keith walks into Hunk’s office. Inside Rey is sitting on a chair, intently watching Hunk work on the cell phone. He has a flashlight in his mouth pointed at the internal workings of the phone while he uses tools in both hands. He also has on special magnifying glasses on so he can see little details.

“Does it work?” Keith wonders.

Rey turns her head and jumps off the chair to greet him. Keith smiles down at her and scratches her ear before looking back at Hunk.

“There was water damage, but I’m trying something here. Could you take that cord and put it in the adapter I’ve connected to the phone?” Hunk wonders.

Keith takes off his jacket and sets it on a chair before walking over to Hunk. “The yellow cord?”

Hunk nods and continues connecting little wires on the phone while Keith puts the cord into the adapter. A few seconds later the phone screen blinks to life. “Ah! Yes!” Hunk exclaims. He sets the phone and tools down, takes his glasses off, then begins to type on the tablet the phone is connected to. “Alright, I’m getting all the information onto the tablet then I can start combing through it for anything susp—” Hunk stops talking abruptly, glaring at the door. “Did I forget to put up my _No Dickheads Allowed_ sign?”

Keith turns and sees James standing there holding a file. “Hi, I just need to borrow Keith,” James says.

“Please don’t use the closet next to my office,” Hunk replies, fake gagging.

“Hunk, Keith and I are not having sex,” James states. “He’s just assisting me with a case.”

Hunk crosses his arms. “Is that code for sex?”

“Tsuyoshi! God!” Keith yells, standing up. “Just let it go!”

“Keith—”

“Don’t fucking _Keith_ me! It’s not your business who I’m seeing or not seeing!” Keith glowers at Hunk.

Hunk scoffs. “Fine. Ruin your own life! See if I care!”

Keith whistles and points outside the door for Rey to walk out before slamming the door shut. Rey whimpers at Keith while he slumps down in a chair in the hallway. Rey walks in front of Keith, sitting on the ground between his legs and placing her head on his lap, looking up at him with sad eyes. Keith sighs and places his hand on Rey’s neck, running his hands through her fur. He senses James take a seat next to him.

“You okay?” he wonders.

“How can I be? I can’t tell my closest friends what we’re doing because I promised Pidge. I have to deal with them giving me judgmental looks because they think we’re hooking up!” Keith exclaims.

“They’re all judging you? Even your partner? What about Ezor Parisi? I don’t see how she’d judge you when she never met me,” James says.

“I don’t know, James.” Keith sighs. “What did you need from me?”

James hands him the file. “Take a look when you get home then call Pidge. I tried telling her that getting Doctor McClain’s two cents on this would be helpful, but she was completely against it.”

“I agree with her, but only because he has to stay focused on the murder. He’s the only thing keeping Shiro off my back about not being completely involved with this case,” Keith says.

“Okay, well, I think a psychologist’s opinion would be very helpful,” James says.

Keith sighs and stands up with James. Rey steps aside and waits for his next move. “I can ask Adam,” Keith offers.

“Doctor Adam Weller? As in the man Shiro used to date?” James wonders.

“Yeah, but I trust him to keep it to himself. Besides, Pidge will tell everyone once we get it figured out,” Keith says. “I’ll send you a text if Adam agrees to look tomorrow.”

James nods. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good night, Keith.” He gives Keith a smile then heads to the elevator.

Keith watches him go then makes his way to Shiro’s office with Rey following behind him. His phone buzzes with a text from Lance telling him to meet him at the hospital tomorrow morning to interrogate Blake Brooke. Keith smiles at the emojis Lance sent as he raises his hand to knock on the door. Something crashes onto the ground inside before Keith can knock. Panic sets in and Keith opens the door, gun drawn. “Who—” He stops abruptly when he sees Shiro sitting in his chair with Adam on his lap, intensely making out with each other. He sees a pencil holder on the floor with its contents spilled onto the floor. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Adam and Shiro break apart from each other, Adam falling onto the ground with a thud. “Keith! Ever heard of knocking?!” Shiro wonders, out of breath.

“Ever heard of discretion?” Keith counters. “I heard a crash and I assumed something was wrong.”

Adam stands up. “Perhaps getting a lock on the door, Takashi?”

“There is one, but it’s broken. Keith, what can we do for you? I thought you’d be heading home. Ezor said we can’t interrogate Blake until Coran finishes the autopsy,” Shiro says.

“I’m actually here to talk to Adam. Could we speak outside?” Keith asks.

Adam nods then looks at Shiro. “I’ll see you at home.” He follows Keith outside over to Keith’s desk, petting Rey on his way over. “What can I help you with?”

“I have to make this quick, but would you possibly be interested in looking another file over tomorrow? It has to stay between us though,” Keith says. “Don’t worry about lying to Shiro because it doesn’t concern him. If he asks what we were talking about, just tell him I wanted your input on Blake being the one who killed Henry.”

Adam nods. “Sure, of course. May I ask what it’s about?”

Keith shakes his head no. “Not now nor here. I’ll consult with you tomorrow, alright?”

“Is everything okay?” Adam wonders.

“Yeah—or it will be. Thanks again, Adam. Rey and I should head home,” Keith says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Keith.” Adam waves as Keith grabs his things and heads to the elevator with Rey.

Keith scratches her behind the ears and walks to his bike. Rey hops into the sidecar and lets Keith strap her in before putting her goggles and helmet on. He kisses her snout then puts his bag into the side carrier. Keith puts his helmet on and gets on the bike. He turns to Rey. “Ready, girl?”

Rey howls happily in response at him. Keith smiles at her then takes off outside the parking garage, making his way home.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith arrives at the hospital and finds Lance waiting for him in the lobby. Once Lance spots him, they approach the desk worker and ask where Blake Brooke’s room is. He directs them down the hallway, telling them it’s the third door on the left. Keith and Lance thank him then walk down the hallway before entering Blake’s room. Keith nods to the agent at the door then steps inside with Lance.

Blake immediately struggles against his handcuffs. “You motherfuckers! I’ll kill both of you!”

“Yeah, okay,” Keith says dully before sitting. “How come you were all calm and collected during our initial interview? Did you forget to take some medication? Should you be on medication?”

“Keith, maybe leave the psych questions to the professional?” Lance asks with a smile.

“A twank like you? I don’t think so!” Blake exclaims.

“Did you kill your son, Mister Brooke?” Keith wonders, steering Blake’s attention back on him.

“I should’ve fucking killed him!” he yells. “Him and his stupid education and stupid hockey bleeding me dry! Spoiled brat.”

“What about Lucas?” Keith wonders. “Don’t you have to pay for his education?”

“Of course I do!” Blake exclaims. “I’m _glad_ to pay for his education because he actually appreciates me!”

“How could you expect Henry to show you respect if you don’t respect him?” Lance questions.

Blame scoffs. “I was his father! He should automatically treat me with respect no matter what I do to him.”

Keith clenches his fists and glares at Blake. “You’re full of shit! My father was a deadbeat and abused me even when I didn’t do anything!”

“You probably deserved it,” Blake says. “Y’know, you remind me of Henry. I sympathize with your dad. I bet he was a good man.”

“Where were you last night?” Keith asks, not taking the bait.

“Why should I tell you?!” Blake demands.

“Okay, I’ll just arrest you for murdering your son,” Keith states.

Blake huffs in annoyance. “I was at a bar all night. Check my credit card history or whatever. You’ll see I ordered a lot.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “We’ll confirm that. In the meantime, you’re under arrest for domestic abuse and attempted murder on your wife. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.” Keith leans forward to smile smugly at Blake. “I’m gonna make sure you get put away for good so you don’t bother Nancy or Lucas ever again.”

Blake glares at Keith. “We’ll see about that.”

Keith opens his mouth to retort, but Lance takes him out of the room and to the hospital lobby. His phone rings and he answers. “Kogane,” Keith says.

“ _Hey, Hunk got into the phone and found some pretty interesting things_ ,” Ezor shares. “ _You’re gonna wanna get back here as soon as possible. Are you finished with Blake Brooke?_ ”

“Yeah,” Keith answers. “I’m gonna have Tsuyoshi check the alibi, but I don’t think he did it.”

Lance raises his eyebrows at Keith. “I thought you were convinced?”

“Ez, I gotta go. Lance and I will see you in the meeting room,” Keith says.

“ _Alright, see ya_.” She hangs up, and Keith puts his phone away.

“Keith?” Lance asks.

Keith sighs. “Yeah, okay, maybe you and Ezor are right. Maybe he didn’t do it.”

Lance smiles slightly. “What made you change your mind?”

“I dunno. Just a gut feeling I guess?” Keith offers with a shrug.

“Gut feelings aren’t a thing. You know how I feel about guessing,” Lance says.

Keith winks. “And yet, I’m probably right.”

Lance rolls his eyes and walks out of the hospital with Keith. “I’ll see you at the station. Don’t get kidnapped.” He points his finger at Keith. “I’m serious.”

“Why don’t you kidnap me so no one else can?” Keith suggests with a sly smile.

“Don’t tempt me, Ruby Red,” Lance warns. He gives Keith a smile before getting into his car.

Keith hops on his bike and follows Lance to the station. He parks his bike next to Lance’s car when he arrives and they make their way towards the elevators. As they get inside, James and Pidge round a corner, stopping when they see Lance and Keith. Lance places his hand in front of the doors so they don’t close. “Going up?” he asks.

Pidge looks between Lance and Keith with wide eyes, slightly stepping behind James. “Um—”

“Yes, two please,” James says, stepping inside with Pidge.

Lance presses two then three. It takes a few seconds for the elevator to move before slowly going up. Keith tenses up at the silence, avoiding looking at everyone, praying the goddamn elevator moves faster before he finds the nearest window and—

The doors open to the second floor and James and Pidge walk out. James turns and looks at Keith longingly. Keith shakes his head slightly as the doors shut. He looks at Lance to find him looking at him with a quizzical expression. “What?” Keith wonders.

“You could’ve cut the tension with a knife,” Lance says. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

The elevator doors open and Keith and Lance walk out, heading to the meeting room. Keith stops when he sees Adam leaving the men’s room and walking towards Shiro’s office. “Uh—go in there without me a second. I have to—uh—yeah,” Keith stammers, hurrying into the area where the desks are, leaving a confused Lance behind. “Adam!”

Adam turns and smiles. “Hi, Keith. What—”

Keith hands him the file. “Take this, read it, and go to—” He turns and sees Lance inside the meeting room with Ezor and Hunk. The door is closed “—office two nineteen.”

“Isn’t that James’s office?” Adam wonders.

“He and Pidge will fill you in when you go in there,” Keith explains. “Please, Adam.”

Adam opens his mouth to ask questions but decides against it. “Okay. I will.”

“Thank you.” Keith sighs in relief. “I’ll be down there as soon as I can. Thank you.” He turns and hurries into the meeting room, shutting the door behind him. Keith jumps slightly when he sees Hunk, Ezor, Lance, and Rey looking at him. “What?”

“What did you give to Adam?” Hunk wonders.

“As if I’d tell you,” Keith replies as Rey walks over to him, nudging him with her head. Keith kneels down and kisses her head, scratching her behind the ears. “Hello there.”

Rey licks his face, tail wagging.

“Why don’t we just go through what’s on the phone?” Ezor asks. “So we all don’t get fired.”

Keith stands up. “Fantastic idea. Tsuyoshi, what did you find?”

Hunk grumbles at the use of his full name but opens up the phone screen on the projector. “I mainly found the typical things you’d see on any high schooler’s phone. He’s got Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook—you name it. Nothing suspicious on any of that.”

“What about messages?” Lance asks.

“Now that’s where it gets interesting,” Hunk says. He types a few things and the messages app opens, showing nothing. “He deleted all of his messages.”

“Can you get them back?” Ezor wonders.

“Do I look like Pidge?” Hunk counters. “I could try using her program, but that’d take too long—especially if I did it wrong. I’m more familiar with the makeup and schematics of electronics. Pidge is better with the code and shit. Although, I did manage to discover some hidden apps on the phone.” He types a few more things and three more apps appear on the screen. “Two of them Henry obviously used for a good time, but the third is a texting app you can download for free. You sign up with an email and it gives you a brand new phone number.”

“Why would Henry need a new phone number?” Keith asks.

“It must be something he didn’t want his parents finding out about. Hunk, could you get access to it?”

Hunk sighs. “Mmm sorta. The messages are encrypted, but it wasn’t sophisticated enough to the point where I couldn’t read it.” He opens up the messages. “He only contacted three other numbers with this app, but the names aren’t listed.”

“Trace the numbers,” Lance says.

“That’s complicated. The area codes are bogus, and I’m not even sure the emails are legit,” Hunk explains. “I’ve been trying to figure it out since yesterday. Did Coran find anything that could lead this in a different direction? Maybe these numbers were drug dealers or something.”

“Actually, aside from the bruising on Henry’s body from beatings and from playing hockey, he did test positive for benzoylmethylecgonine,” Ezor shares.

Keith blinks at her. “Excuse me?”

“Cocaine!” Lance exclaims. “Of course!”

Keith’s phone buzzes and he sees a text from Pidge.

“Keith! You with us?” Ezor asks.

Keith looks up from his phone. “What? Oh, yeah. I just asked Pidge which program you should use and she said her Find-That-Number.pidge program.”

“She doesn’t have—” Hunk stops when the program pops up. “Damnit.” Hunk types the numbers in and within a few seconds, three profiles appear. “This is the exact reason why I don’t do this part of the job.”

“Well, I’d have Matt do it, but unfortunately he hasn’t been reinstated. Y’know, he could also do _your_ job,” Keith comments, irritated. “I think—”

“Keith,” Lance interrupts. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

“Fine! You know what? Go get those kids without me then!” Keith exclaims. “I can’t deal with Tsuyoshi anymore.” He walks out with Rey and heads to the elevator with her. Keith presses the second-floor button then heads to James’s office, opening the door when he gets there.

Adam, Pidge, and James turn when the door opens. “Took you long enough,” Pidge grumbles.

“Keith, I was just telling James and Pidge my thoughts on the file you gave me. I’m thinking whoever attempted to attack Pidge was an amateur, meaning she was his first attempt,” Adam shares.

“Will he try again?” Keith wonders.

“That’s what I asked,” James says. “We concluded with yes.”

“Since he wasn’t on the bus, we think that bus stop is his hunting ground,” Adam continues. “I think sending someone to scout out the area would be beneficial.”

“I can’t do that,” Keith says.

“Why not?!” Pidge demands. “You said you’d help! Ezor and Lance can cover for you!”

Keith rubs his forehead. “Pidge, Shiro will be on my case if he finds out I haven’t had my full attention on this murder investigation. I told you to contact local PD with this case and let them take care of it.”

“They won’t take it as seriously as you,” Pidge whispers. She hangs her head. “Maybe this was a mistake. Forget it. We don’t need to do anything about it.” She starts for the door, but Rey blocks the path. “Wh—”

Keith pulls Pidge into a hug. “Katie, you know I’d do everything to help you, right? Hell, I sacrificed everything to help you dig deeper into Matt’s and my mother’s case.”

Pidge rests her head on Keith’s chest. “Yeah, look where that got you. Kidnapped.”

“Hey, but we got Matt back, and we found Lotor too. Those two will be crucial in finding my mother,” Keith says. He ruffles her hair. “I would never steer you wrong, Katie. Please go with James to the local PD about this. They’ll be able to help you more than I can without revealing to Shiro what I’m doing.”

Pidge sighs then looks up at Keith. “When we catch the guy, will you make the arrest?”

Keith smiles. “Someone would have to kill me to stop me from doing that.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Pidge scolds, shoving Keith away. “And don’t call me Katie.” She smiles slightly. “But thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Keith replies. He looks at James to say something but his phone rings. It’s Shay.

“Kogane,” Keith says into the phone.

“ _Hey Keith_ ,” Shay says. “ _I was going over Coran’s notes and noticed some perimortem bruising to Henry’s left ankle. I did an X-ray of it and discovered perimortem tearing to the anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament_.”

“Shay, I’m not with Lance,” Keith replies. “I don’t know what any of that means.”

“ _Right, sorry, uh, basically he injured his ankle right before he died_ ,” Shay clarifies. “ _I’ve only seen this injury when someone’s foot twists outward_.”

“Like when the skate gets caught on the ice or against the boards!” Keith exclaims.

“ _Exactly, and I see that evidence on the other ankle, but due to the dry blood and cuts on the surrounding tissue, I’m not sure if this was an accident_ ,” Shay continues.

“Shay, you may have just solved the case. Thank you so much. I gotta go.” Keith hangs up.

“Break in the case?” James wonders.

“Yeah, I need to find Allura!” Keith announces before bolting out the door with Rey. He takes the elevator up to the third floor and runs to where the desks are but stops in his tracks when he sees Director Alfor, Shiro, Allura, and Lotor all talking with each other.

“Keith!” Allura exclaims when she sees him. “Look who came to say hello!” She smiles widely at Lotor, linking arms with him. “It is Lotor!”

Keith walks up to them and shakes Lotor’s hand. “It’s nice to see you out of the hospital,” Keith states. He glances down at his shirt and sees a visitor’s pass on him.

“Lotor was released from the hospital and is in physical therapy right now,” Allura shares. “He should be reinstated within the year.”

Keith looks at Alfor. “Is that true?”

Alfor nods. “He and Matthew Holt are expected to return by October. How is the Henry Brooke case going? Any leads?”

Shiro gives Keith a warning glare.

“Uh, actually we have two! Ezor and Lance are out finding the kids that sold our victim cocaine, and I actually was looking for Allura to come with me back to the ice rink to interview the team again,” Keith shares.

Alfor nods. “Good work. I expect this case to be wrapped up by the end of the day. Shiro, come with me. I have something for you to look at.” He turns and leaves with Shiro.

“You were?” Allura wonders once Alfor is gone. “I wonder why you cannot go with Hunk.” She crosses her arms.

“What’s wrong with him and Hunk?” Lotor wonders.

“Keith has been canoodling with James Griffin again,” Allura shares, crossing her arms.

Lotor’s eyes widen. “What?! I ought to kill him with my bare hands.”

“We’re not gonna do that,” Keith says. “Look, since Lance and Ezor aren’t here, you gotta come with me to talk to the team. Lotor can come too but he has to keep his mouth shut.”

Allura rolls her eyes. “Fine. I guess since this is the case I am prosecuting, I should occasionally go out into the field.” She pauses then smiles. “Do I get a gun?!”

“Allura, we’re talking to teenage hockey players, not gangbangers,” Keith states. “If we were talking to gang bangers, I’d take Hu—Tsuyoshi…”

“Is Hunk not going by Hunk anymore? Didn’t you give him that nickname?” Lotor wonders.

“We’re not on the best of terms right now,” Keith admits. “James returning has sort of driven a wedge between us. I can’t go into details right now, but it’ll clear up after this case is finished.” He looks at Allura for any protests.

“While I agree with Hunk…I am much more of a professional than he is,” Allura says smugly. “Let us go interview these kids!”

Keith leads Allura and Lotor out of the desk area and to the elevator to head to the parking garage. Once they get down, Keith hops in the driver’s seat while Allura gets in the passenger’s seat. Lotor grumbles as he climbs into the backseat behind Allura. Keith drives them to the ice rink and when they walk inside, Keith sees that the hole where the body was has been filled and frozen.

“Whoa, they filled that hole up quickly,” Keith comments.

“Wait, the body was found _in_ the ice? That’s fucked up,” Lotor says.

They walk to the edge of the rink and watch the kids practice for a few minutes. Keith notices that the player who replaced Henry is clearly not as good as what is expected from a varsity hockey player. He spots the coach on the player’s bench, shouting directions. Luckily there are other parents and people watching the practice so Lotor doesn’t seem out of place as Keith and Allura approach the coach.

“Excuse me, Coach Henkins? I’m Special Agent Keith Kogane and this is Allura Quinn from the U.S. Attorney’s office,” Keith introduces, shaking his hand. “I believe you spoke with another agent yesterday?”

“Yes. Her name was Ezor Parisi I think,” the coach replies. “Did you figure out who killed Henry?”

“We’re working on a couple leads right now,” Keith replies. “We have reason to believe Henry was here when he died and that he wasn’t alone.”

“I gave all the captains key cards to get into the rink if they wanted to host a practice or practice on their own before any game,” the coach shares. “Henry obviously had one of them.”

“Which players also have key cards?” Allura wonders.

“Uhh…number seventeen, Oliver Davids, and number three, Johnny Baxter,” Coach Henkins replies. “If you wanna talk to them, feel free to get on the ice and do so.” he gestures to a couple pairs of skates on the ground.

“Allura, will you be joining me?” Keith asks.

Allura laughs loudly. “You are funny, Keith. I am wearing a skirt. I do not think so.”

Keith shrugs then laces the skates up before stepping onto the ice. He observes from a position where a ref would be, watching as one of the players prepare to shoot the puck into an empty net. The player takes a deep breath and pulls his hockey stick back before hitting the puck towards the net. Keith watches as it flies up into the air and barely misses above the net. The teammates groan while a couple laughs. Keith tilts his head in confusion because it was an easy shot.

“It’s impossible! That’s like an inch thick!” the player exclaims.

“Or you’re just really bad,” one of the other captains, Oliver Davids, counters. He spots Keith watching. “I bet the agent could do it!” Oliver motions Keith over. “Weren’t you here yesterday when they found Henry? What’s your name again?”

Keith nods. “I was and it’s Keith.”

Oliver hands Keith his stick. “Do you play?”

“Back in high school and a bit in college, yeah,” Keith replies. “What are you trying to do?”

“I bet Joey here that he couldn’t hit the top part of the net with a puck,” Oliver explains. “And he couldn’t.”

“If I hit it, could I ask you guys some questions about Henry?” Keith asks.

“Dude, you can ask us whatever you want if you hit it,” Oliver agrees, skating backward to give Keith some space. His other teammates follow suit. The other captain, Johnny Baxter passes the puck to Keith and goes next to Oliver.

Keith’s phone buzzes, but he ignores it, preparing to take the shot. He looks over at Allura and sees her with her phone out, recording him. Keith rolls his eyes and looks back at the net. _Patience yields focus_. Keith gets into position with the stick, eyeing the part he should hit it at before taking a mighty swing at the puck. It soars through the air and bounces off the top rim of the net, knocking right back to Keith.

The teammates cheer loudly from around Keith and Oliver and Johnny exchange a smile with each other before approaching Keith. “That was pretty good,” Oliver comments.

“I know,” Keith says, handing Oliver back his stick. “Now those questions. We know Henry was here the night he died and that he had a key card to access the building.”

Johnny nods. “That’s right. Ollie and I both have key cards as well. Coach gave the captains cards.”

“Were either of you here too?” Keith asks.

Johnny shakes his head no. “See, the night before each game coach doesn’t make us have practice because he wants us to rest up, but he lets us host mini-practices with people who need some help with stuff or if we want to work a specific position. We alternate turns and last night was Henry’s turn. He worked with the forwards.”

Keith nods. “Okay, who are the forwards?”

“Michael, Boyd, and Jeremy,” Oliver answers. He exchanges a concerned expression with Johnny. “They did seem pretty pissed that Henry thought they needed extra help. The rest of us didn’t think we needed to have a practice, but Henry was adamant about having one. He said something about not wanting to deal with his dad and knew he’d be pissed he was at the rink, so I told him he could tell his parents he was sleeping over at my house for the weekend so they wouldn’t get suspicious.”

Keith nods solemnly. “That was very kind of you.”

Oliver furrows his eyebrows. “Wait…you said he was here before he died…was he killed here?”

Keith nods.

Oliver covers his mouth in shock and Johnny puts his face in his hands. “Oh my God…Michael, Boyd, and Jeremy weren’t at practice yesterday…”

Johnny looks at Oliver. “You don’t think—Jesus Christ…”

“What numbers are Michael, Boyd, and Jeremy?” Keith asks.

“Four, twelve, and nineteen,” Oliver answers. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He skates away.

Before Keith skates over to the teammates Oliver and Johnny told him, Allura waves Keith over. “Lance just called me to tell me it was not the drug kids. They had not seen Henry since last week. I told him and Ezor to get over—you look like you know something.”

“Four, twelve, and nineteen,” Keith says.

Allura and Keith look over and see those three kids in a circle whispering to each other. They turn and see Allura and Keith looking at them. They stand like that for a couple seconds before the three of them take off in different directions. “They know,” Keith says.

“I’ll call for backup,” Allura says, pulling her phone out again.

“Lotor! Block that door!” Keith yells.

Before Boyd can make an escape, Lotor steps in front of the door and blocks it so he can’t leave. Two teammates come and grab him.

Keith sees Michael trying to climb over the wall to the team bench, but Oliver skates over and knocks him down, putting his stick on his chest. “That’s for Henry!” he yells.

Keith spots Jeremy skating around away from the other teammates. He begins pursuing Jeremy when Ezor and Lance run inside with their guns out. Keith gains momentum and quickly catches up to Jeremy, tackling him onto the ice, pulling out his handcuffs. “I don’t think so,” Keith says.

Oliver and Johnny bring over Michael while two other teammates bring over Boyd. “You three are under arrest for the murder of Henry Brooke,” Keith says as he handcuffs Jeremy. He hoists Jeremy to his feet and brings him over to where Lance, Ezor, and Allura are. “You have the right to remain silent.” He takes handcuffs fromm Lance and puts them on Michael. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney.” He takes handcuffs from Ezor and puts them on Jeremy. “If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state.”

Once the three boys are handcuffed and in different shoes, Lance and Ezor hand them off to a few other agents to take them back to the station. Keith turns and looks at Oliver and Johnny. “Henry was lucky to have friends like you two,” Keith says.

“Thanks…you should know that his father—” Oliver starts.

“He’s been arrested as well,” Keith interjects. “His mom and brother are safe.”

Oliver nods and smiles before skating away with Johnny. Keith steps off the ice and changes back into his normal shoes. He looks at Ezor and Lance. “What?”

“How did you know?” Lance wonders. “How did you know it wasn’t the drug kids?”

“Shay called me and told me she found that he injured his ankle right before he died in a way that only a hockey player typically would,” Keith explains. “I just knew it had to have been a teammate…or three.”

“Well, now Shiro has no reason to be angry at you for flaking out a couple times,” Ezor adds with a smile. “Now can you tell us what was going on?”

Keith’s phone buzzes again and he pulls it out to see a text from Pidge and the two missed calls from Lance. The text from Pidge simply says: _We got him_.

“Um, I actually have to go somewhere,” Keith says honestly. “I have to make another arrest.”

Lance’s eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

“Meet me back at the station and everything will make sense,” Keith says. “Take Lotor and Allura back as well!” He runs out of the ice rink and hops into his car. Keith takes his phone out and replies to Pidge: _On my way. I can’t wait to see this guy rot_.

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge walks into the meeting room with James, causing the room to go silent. She has her arms at her sides and her hair is cut short, but she looks determined.

Keith gives her a small smile.

“I, uh, should be honest with you guys,” Pidge says, shuffling her feet. “The reason why I wasn’t on this case was that I was dealing with my own case—I was the victim.”

“Excuse me?” Allura wonders.

Pidge sighs. “My car wouldn’t start, so I had to take the bus. When I got off the bus, some jackass thought it’d be a great time to attempt to do things to me, but he didn’t get far enough. I called Keith and told him he couldn’t tell any of you. I didn’t even want to go to the police with this, but he convinced me.”

“What’s asshole got to do with this?” Hunk asks. “Oops, I mean James.”

James glares at Hunk.

“He represented me and thoroughly helped with this whole thing when Keith was busy with this murder case,” Pidge answers. “He’s also very good at getting information out of people.”

“Being in the courtroom against Allura and her witnesses helped with that,” James comments.

Allura frowns at him. “You little—” She advances on him, but Keith holds her back.

“James, we talked about this,” Pidge says, turning to him. “If you’re ever gonna be accepted as part of this team, you can’t be a dick.”

“Uh, what?” Hunk tilts his head.

“Director Alfor brought me back from Los Angeles as a prosecutor and occasional defense attorney after he fired all those other lawyers,” James explains.

“My father did _what_?!” Allura demands

“Looks like we’ll be working side-by-side with this team, princess,” James taunts with a smug smile.

“I’m resigning!” Hunk announces.

“No one’s resigning,” Shiro interjects. “James, welcome to the team.” He and James shake hands while Allura and Hunk make sounds of protest. “I’m guessing this is why you’ve been distracted?” Shiro turns to Keith.

“Yeah,” Keith admits, “and I’m sorry again. I—”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Shiro interrupts. “Ezor and Lance did an excellent job covering for you. Good work everyone.” He turns to Pidge. “And I’m glad you’re okay.

Pidge smiles. “Thank you.”

Shiro nods and walks out of the meeting room, leaving Pidge, James, Allura, Keith, and Hunk. Allura glares at James again. “Why would my father assign _you_ to this team? Does he think I am unable to handle it myself?”

“That’s a conversation you’re going to have to have with him, but something about a promotion I believe?” James smirks when Allura’s eyes go wide.

“I have to go.” She runs out of the room.

“I’m still not supporting this.” Hunk points at James. “I hate you.” He then looks at Keith. “Rey’s in Lance’s office, right? Shay’s almost here.”

“Yeah, and her food and toys are in there too,” Keith says. “Thanks again.”

Hunk salutes and walks out. Pidge looks between Keith and James. “I’ll leave you two to it then.” She winks then makes her way back to her office.

Keith begins collecting files off the table for Lance while James lingers by the meeting room entrance. “Hey, uh, I know I really have no right in asking, and you have no need to say yes, but do you wanna maybe get some dinner with me at our old place? We can catch up…and stuff.”

Keith pauses what he’s doing and looks at James. “I don’t know if I should say yes.”

“I want you to, but I understand if you don’t,” James says.

Keith thinks about it for a moment, considering the pros and cons. The pros are that he can get to know what James has done on the other side of the country and brag about his promotion that is inevitable. The cons are that old flames could reignite, and Keith doesn’t know if he’s ready to go down that path of hurt again—plus, he has a huge crush on Lance, but Lance has someone. So, maybe Keith should treat himself? Yeah, plus he can make James pay.

“Fine,” Keith grumbles. “But I ain’t paying.”

James chuckles. “I wouldn’t have expected you to. I carpooled here with someone, so could you drive?”

“You do realize I have a motorcycle, right?” Keith wonders with a raised eyebrow.

“I thought my intentions were clear,” James states.

Keith blinks in awe, forgetting how straightforward James was. “Alright, well, just meet me by my bike in a few minutes. I have to give these files to Lance.”

James smiles. “Great.” He leaves the meeting room while Keith finishes collecting the papers before heading to Lance’s office.

Keith puts his hand on the doorknob but stops when he hears voices.

“What do you mean you have to cancel?” Lance’s voice wonders from behind the door.

“I’m sorry, babe, but Alfor needs me to stay later,” Nyma’s voice responds. “They just fired a bunch of people, and I don’t want to be next.”

“Honey, I won’t let that happen.”

“But your partner will.”

Lance sighs. “Nyma, Keith wouldn’t do that.”

“Fine, but I still can’t go to dinner tonight, I’m sorry. You understand, don’t you? Job first, relationship second. You agreed to that when we started dating.”

Lance sighs again. “Okay, I love you.”

“Bye Lance.”

There’s some shuffling then the door opens. Keith pretends to have been doing something else as Nyma walks away. Once she’s gone, Keith walks into Lance’s office to see him sitting at his desk with his face in his hands.

“Trouble in paradise? I can get her fired if you want me to,” Keith offers, setting the files in front of Lance.

“I appreciate the effort, but I’m really not in the mood.” Lance looks up at him. “I could go for a drink…or ten. You wanna get drinks?”

“I, uh, would love to, but I’m actually going out to dinner with James,” Keith admits.

Lance blinks. “You mean the James that the entire team despises? The James that apparently shattered your heart?”

“I told you he wanted to catch up and makeup!” Keith exclaims. “Don’t worry, it’s casual.”

“Nothing about your relationship with him is casual, Keith!” Lance stands up and walks up to him. “Tell him I had a stroke, and you have to take me home.”

“What? No.” Keith shakes his head. “I’m not doing that.” He points to the files on the desk. “I just came by to drop those off before I left.”

“Can I at least take Rey?” Lance asks.

“You didn’t see Hunk come and take her?” Keith wonders.

Lance shakes his head no. “Adam needed to talk to me.”

“She left when Shay came to pick up Hunk,” Keith shares. “Sorry.”

Lance rubs his forehead. “Damn! Left stranded by the two most important people in my life!”

Keith chuckles. “Trust me, I’d rather hang out with you than Griffin, but he’s paying, so I ain’t passing up a free meal.” He turns and starts walking out.

“I’d pay!” Lance exclaims. “Keith, please! I’ll do anything!”

“Walking away! Goodnight, Sir Lancelot!” Keith salutes Lance then shuts the door. His phone buzzes and he gets a picture from Shay. He opens it up to see a picture of Rey licking Hunk’s cheek. Keith smiles as he heads down to the parking garage and finds James leaning against his bike. “Trying to arouse me, are you?”

“What? Like it’s hard?” James smiles at Keith’s irritated expression.

“The spare helmet is in the left compartment. You can put your stuff in there as well.” Keith loads his stuff into the right compartment then puts on his helmet before mounting the bike. James puts on Keith’s old helmet, the one with the clear visor, then sits behind Keith.

“Is this the bike you’ve been restoring?” James wonders as he looks it over.

Keith nods as he starts up the bike. “It is. I’m surprised you remembered.” He pulls out of the parking garage and begins driving to the restaurant.

“You know, I wasn’t a terrible boyfriend! We just ended on terrible terms!” James yells over the wind.

“Doesn’t that make you terrible by default?!”

“I got you that helmet you loved so much! Did you dump it after we broke up!? The one you’re wearing now isn’t it!” James knocks on it with his knuckles.

“That one got destroyed when I was kidnapped by Amelia Kefter!” Keith shouts.

“Oh…right!”

James is quiet for a little bit until they reach a red light. “So, when did you get this one?”

“It was a birthday present from Lance,” Keith answers.

“Really? That’s a pretty nice helmet for someone to buy their work partner,” James comments.

“You sound jealous that Lance knows my tastes better than you do,” Keith teases.

James runs his finger up Keith’s back before stroking his neck, causing Keith to shiver. He chuckles. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I don’t need to be jealous.”

Keith turns to look at him. “Were you always this cocky?”

“I had to keep up with you,” James replies with a smile.

Keith laughs loudly then speeds ahead when the light turns green. James’s grip tightens around Keith as he turns a corner sharply. As they head deeper into the city, the area becomes painfully familiar to him—almost as if he’s back as a rookie agent, going out on a date with James after a long day at work. They were regulars at the restaurant, L’ultima Cena. The entire staff knew their names and Keith and James knew theirs. They always celebrated their anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays at this place. It was like a second family to Keith, but after James left, it hurt too much to come back.

It still hurts.

Keith pushes those old memories away as he pulls into the parking lot, subconsciously pulling into their old usual spot. James hops off first and puts the helmet in the side compartment. Keith shuts the bike off and locks it before getting off. They make their way inside, the familiar dim lights shining down on them. The scent of pizza and pasta fills Keith’s nose, making this even harder. They approach the hostess. “Hi, table for two, please,” James says.

“It’ll be about a ten-minute wait,” the woman replies. Keith doesn’t recognize her. “Could I get a name please?”

“Griffin,” James says.

From within the kitchen, a head pops out. Keith recognizes her as the old hostess named Miranda Baker. “Did I just hear a ghost?” she wonders, a smile coming to her face.

James turns and smiles widely. “Miranda!” he exclaims. “It’s so good to see you two again! We’ve missed you these past years! What happened? We thought you two dropped off the face of the Earth!”

“I was transferred to Los Angeles,” James explains. “Keith and I had to break up.”

Keith clenches his jaw, irritated at James for lying, but it’s better than the truth. “That’s right.”

“Aw, well that’s too bad! Shortly after we stopped seeing you as well, Keith,” Miranda says. “Why’s that?”

“There was a break in a case I had been working on for a while,” Keith explains. “Things got out of hand and it took a while for me to recover. It also didn’t feel right coming back here without James.”

Miranda smiles. “Well, it’s great to see you two back together. Why don’t you two come with me? Your usual table is always open.” She nods at the new hostess who crosses their names off. Miranda leads them over to their old usual table by the window overlooking the river. “Unfortunately Nicholas doesn’t work here anymore so he can’t wait on you, but Margaret is!”

“Thank you, Miranda,” James says, taking a seat. “How come you aren’t the hostess anymore?”

Miranda shows them her nametag. “I was promoted to manager! Isn’t that exciting?!”

“Congratulations!” Keith exclaims.

Miranda smiles. “Thank you. Anyway, Margaret will be right back with your drinks.” She waves goodbye and walks away.

Once she’s gone, Keith turns to James. “They still remember our order?”

“Keith, we went hear nearly every night,” James says. “We befriended a lot of the staff.”

“Yeah, but I don’t even remember what my usual drink is,” Keith says, opening the menu. “I don’t remember what I usually ate.”

“Did you just forget about this place?” James wonders.

“Well, yeah.” Keith flips through the menu. “I didn’t give this area a second thought. All I could think about was you, and I couldn’t deal with that so I stopped coming.”

James sighs. “So when you told her about the case…that was a lie?”

“Well, no, that’s still true, but it wasn’t the whole truth,” Keith clarifies. “Anyway, everything looks good on the menu. I don’t think I can decide or remember what I usually got.”

“Maybe I can help you with that,” a voice says from behind him.

Keith turns and sees Margaret approaching with drinks in her hand. She sets down some type of beer in front of James and what looks like a Coke in front of Keith. “Is this just Coke?” Keith wonders.

“With a twist.” Margaret winks. “Anyway, what looks good today? I’m assuming you’re ready to order.”

James smiles at Keith. “Yeah, we are.”

Keith avoids his gaze and looks up at Margaret. “What are your specials?”

“See? You haven’t forgotten!” Margaret exclaims. She proceeds to list them off, Keith listening intently so he doesn’t have to look at James.

It still hurts.

 

* * *

 

 

When they finish eating, James pays then they walk outside to where the bike is, looking over the river. The wind blows through Keith’s hair slightly, and he takes a deep breath in. He looks at James and sees him admiring him. Keith looks away, back to the river. “What are you looking at?” Keith wonders.

“Someone I regret giving up,” James says.

Keith looks back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I thought about you all the time while I was in Los Angeles,” James admits, stepping closer to Keith.

“Why didn’t you call then?”

James sighs. “I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me after what I said to you.”

“I wanted an apology,” Keith states.

James hangs his head. “That’s my biggest regret.” He places his hand on Keith’s and intertwines their fingers. “I am so sorry, Keith. You didn’t deserve any of that. I should’ve been better. I should’ve called, but I was afraid!”

“Afraid of what?”

“Not being enough for you, having you die, me dying,” James lists.

“That came with the job title,” Keith states. “You knew that when you asked me out!”

“I know. I risked everything, but after you started looking into your mother’s case, I couldn’t handle it anymore!” James exclaims. “I couldn’t watch you tear yourself apart!”

“You insulted me and left!” Keith yells. “You broke me, James!”

James pulls Keith close and hugs him tightly. “When I heard what happened to you, I wanted to come back, but I couldn’t. They wouldn’t let me.”

“You had over a year!” Keith pulls away to look at him. “A whole fucking year, James! And nothing! No flowers, no letter, no fucking text! I loathed you. I loathed the idea of love. I loathed everyone around me. I thought they’d all leave me as you did, so I pulled away. I wanted to die. I wished that bomb had killed me!”

James places a hand on Keith’s cheek and stroked it with his thumb. Keith shuts his eyes, leaning into the touch, willing himself not to cry.

“I came back the first opportunity I could,” James whispers. “Maybe we can start over?”

“My feelings for you died when that bomb went off.”

“Then I can just be with you physically and show you that we can still work,” James says, stepping closer again. “I loved you, Keith. I think I still love you.”

Keith winces and shakes his head no. “James, I can’t. It’s not fair to either of us.”

“I don’t care about that!” James exclaims. “I miss you.” He tilts Keith’s chin up and leans in, breath brushing against Keith’s lips. “Tell me when to stop…”

Keith wants to tell him to stop, but his voice is trapped in his throat. The selfish part of him wants this. The part of him that wants Lance wishes it was him. Keith allows James to kiss him, starting gently at first until Keith pushes it further, pressing himself against James. Their lips move in sync as if no time passed between them. James knows what Keith likes, and Keith knows what James likes.

But Keith feels nothing.

He tries to pretend it’s Lance. He tries to pretend his nose is brushing up against Lance’s. He tries to pretend it’s Lance’s fingers running through his hair. He tries to pretend it’s Lance’s waist he’s tugging closer to him. He tries to pretend it’s Lance he’s tasting, feeling, and smelling against him.

But it’s not.

Keith’s seen him kiss Nyma, and James doesn’t do it justice as Lance would.

He lingers for a couple more seconds before pulling away, shaking his head. He presses his forehead against James’s. “I’m sorry, James. I can’t do this,” Keith admits. “I’m a changed guy. I need other things you can’t give me, and you need things I can’t give you. I forgive you, but I can’t be with you like that. Besides…there’s someone else…”

James sighs and nods. “I-I had a feeling. I’ve seen the way you look at your partner, Lance. It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

James runs his fingers through Keith’s hair again. “Well, I think I can still be useful to you.”

Keith tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Lance is dating Valentina, right? And he didn’t like the idea of you coming here with me? He tried inviting you out with him, right?” James wonders.

“Yes to all of that,” Keith confirms. “Where are you going with this?”

“If he didn’t have feelings for you, he wouldn’t have tried to sabotage this,” James states. “I’m thinking if we pretend that we’re a thing again, it’ll force him to confront his feelings.”

Keith grimaces. “This feels juvenile.”

James rolls his eyes. “So is you keeping your feelings to yourself! Yet here we are.”

“Rude, but you’re right.” Keith pauses. “How will we pull this off?”

“I have to go back to Los Angeles next week to finish up a few cases before I’m officially back here in May,” James starts. “I’m thinking we keep this a secret between us, and when I finally get back to D.C. for good, you can greet me with a hug and a kiss in front of your team, earning genuine reactions from them.”

“Hunk and Allura would kill the both of us,” Keith interjects.

“You can tell them the truth after Lance sees their real, genuine reactions,” James explains. “I think they’ll like the plan.”

“What if Lance sees it’s all fake? Then he’ll want to know why I did it,” Keith says. “I’m not ready to be rejected by him yet.”

“It won’t come down to that,” James reassures him. “We were never the couple to show PDA in public anyway.”

“He’s my therapist! My partner! My _friend_!” Keith exclaims. “I can’t lie to him…”

_Not again…_

“Wouldn’t you at least like to know the truth?” James wonders. “Maybe he doesn’t have feelings for you, and he was just trying to protect a friend—big deal! You have closure, and you can move on. But, maybe he does and seeing you with a guy like me will give him that nudge he needs to confess.”

Keith tilts his head. “A guy like you?”

“I know what people think of me,” James says matter-of-factly. “I know your team hates me…maybe even more than Valentina.”

“Only because Lance actually makes Nyma a better person,” Keith states.

James nods. “True. She’s been more pleasant than she used to be.”

Keith shrugs. “That’s debatable.”

James chuckles then looks Keith in the eyes, lifting his hand up to move some hair behind Keith’s ear. “Letting you go is my greatest regret.”

_Loving you is mine_ , Keith thinks to himself before looking away. “We should go. I have to pick up Rey from Hunk’s and Shay’s.”

“Are you on speaking terms with him again?” James asks.

“No, but seeing his reaction to us getting back together will be punishment enough,” Keith states with a smile.

“That’s the Keith I know!” James exclaims.

Keith smiles, and they head back to his bike. They get on and Keith drives to James’s house. When they arrive, James gets off and switches out the spare helmet for his stuff in the left compartment. He waves goodbye to Keith then goes inside.

Once James is inside Keith’s phone buzzes. He pulls it out and sees a text from Lance.

Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion then calls Lance. Before he can speak, Lance’s voice rings through the speaker. “ _Keith! Thank God. I’ve made a terrible mistake_.”

“What happened?” Keith asks. “Are you okay? Who do I have to shoot?”

“ _What? No! Why do you always need to shoot someone? Never mind. Just get over to the Canal Park Ice Skating Rink as soon as possible_!”

“Why?”

“ _HURRY_!”

Lance hangs up. Panic begins to set in, so Keith sends Shay a text to tell her that he’s gonna be late picking Rey, up then he speeds to the ice rink. When Keith arrives, Keith parks his bike and hurries over, searching for Lance then sighs in relief when he sees him clung to a wall.

“What the hell are you doing?” Keith wonders.

“I wanted to try ice skating again to prove you wrong, but I’m still very bad,” Lance answers.

Keith chuckles. “Did you just expect to get better in one try?”

“…maybe…”

Keith sighs, rubbing his forehead.

“Don’t judge! Please help me…I can’t move.”

“Hold on, let me go get skates,” Keith says. He goes inside the rental skate building and gets some, tying them up before getting on the ice. Keith skates around with ease before reaching Lance. He grabs Lance’s arms and moves him away from the railing.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Keith!” Lance shouts. He slips and starts falling, but Keith grabs him around the waist and holds him up, pulling him close. They look up at each other, noses brushing up against each other. Lance has a terrified expression plastered on his face while Keith has a smug smile.

Snow begins falling onto them, causing Keith to smile wider.

“Why are you smiling?” Lance wonders, terrified.

“I’m just enjoying this immensely,” Keith states smugly.

“Keeeith,” Lance whines.

“Alright, take my hands, and I’ll be your support.”

“You’re just gonna skate backward? What if you fall and then I fall, or what if I fall and then you fall?”

“If you don’t plan on checking me, we shouldn’t have a problem.”

“But—”

“I’m not gonna let you fall, alright? Just shut up an—”

“—and trust you?”

Keith smiles. “Exactly.”

Keith begins skating backward slowly, holding his arms out so Lance can hold on to his hands. Lance takes a timid skate forward, nearly falling, but he uses Keith as support. “So far so good.”

“You’re doing great!” Keith exclaims.

They continue doing this for a few minutes longer, then Lance suddenly smirks up at Keith. “So, you said if I check you, you’d fall?”

“Probably, but since you can’t skate, you’d end up f—”

Lance suddenly charges at Keith and knocks into him, sending them both onto the ice—Lance on top of Keith.

Keith grunts as he hits the ice. “Motherfucker—”

Lance laughs loudly from on top of him. “Not so graceful, are you now?”

Keith glares at him. “I hate you.”

Lance rolls off of Keith so he can get up then holds his arm up for Keith. He pulls Lance to his feet, and Lance smirk at him. “Aw, come on, Ruby Red! Don’t be mean! We’re having _fun_! Now, let’s do it for real.”

Keith rolls his eyes but complies, internally happy to end the night ice skating with Lance.

Better than heading home with that kiss with James as the last thing on his mind…or their fake relationship scheme…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your input on how I should go about doing the klance falling for each other storyline. Everyone brough excellent points to me and I firmly believe the decision I made will make everyone happen! Look forward to it in the coming chapters.
> 
> More pictures will be posted on the chapter if/when the artist finishes them. Apologies they aren't all completed, but it's been hectic for the both of us.
> 
> Also, let me know if you like how I did the text messages!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Author's Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)  
> Artist's Tumblr: [burtburt0614](http://burtburt0614.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my other series [here (High School AU)](http://archiveofourown.org/series/736509) and [here (Hogwarts AU)](https://archiveofourown.org/series/723054)!


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